South West's transport network 'needs a new approach' claims report

There's calls for money to be spent improving the South West's rail, cycling and bus links - rather than dualling the A303 at Stonehenge and A358 near Taunton.

Both schemes, which were due to cost around £2.5 billion, are currently on hold.

The Transport Action Network has just published a study saying it would be cheaper and more effective to upgrade things like the rail line between Exeter and Salisbury.

The report also calls for a new national cycle link - largely following the A303 to better connect towns - new train stations in places like Wellington and Devizes and more bus services.

Chris Todd, Director, Transport Action Network said: “For far too long the South West has been the forgotten region with transport policy and investment stuck in the sidings. Meanwhile Beeching’s legacy is undermining the South West’s ability to cope with an increasing population and extreme weather events. This report aims to turn that around, with a set of pragmatic, but necessary, solutions to boost economic growth and new homes.

“We can’t escape increasingly severe weather events, but we can better prepare and ensure that when there is flooding on the Somerset Levels, alternative rail routes are available. At present, these alternatives are not robust and the South West risks becoming cut off from the rest of the UK.

"The Government has saved over £2.5bn from scrapping the deeply unpopular A303 and A358 road schemes. It needs to reinvest some of that into low carbon solutions that will safeguard connectivity to the South West, improve opportunities and grow the economy.”

What does the report call for?

1. Delivering a showcase integrated public transport network across a swathe of Wiltshire–Dorset–Somerset–Devon—the broad A303/A358 corridor

2. Enhancing the capacity and capability of the Salisbury–Exeter railway

3. Opening new station and enhancing services to deliver sustainable housing expansions—for example Wellington, Somerset, and Devizes Gateway, Wiltshire

4. Replacing the diesel fleet providing today’s Salisbury-Exeter railway services with a discontinuous electric solution using adapted existing rolling stock

5. Adopting an explicit climate change adaptation strategy to sustain rail access to South West England through adverse weather events

6. Supporting the re-introduction of rail freight in the South West with a new regional R&D grant as necessary to get services up and running

7. Funding the creation of a national cycle route, broadly parallel to the A303, in addition to much improved local active travel networks.

Where can I find out more?

The report can be found here

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