Interesting article by Graeme Demianyk from the Western Morning News Thursday, March 28, 2013
The chairman of rail firm First Great Western's advisory board has made a dramatic call for the Government to fix the region's fragile mainline that has failed repeatedly because of flooding.
Charles Howeson, a prominent Westcountry businessman, says short-term measures would be "inappropriate" and the Department for Transport should instead commit to large-scale improvements.
Heavy rain battered the region last year, with the London-to-Penzance Great Western line at Cowley Bridge, near Exeter, failing three times ^ leaving the region marooned by rail.
The resilience of the rail network, which has come under pressure following more rain in recent weeks, is now seen as even more important following the loss of Plymouth's air link, and the region having just one fully dualled road into the far South West despite long-standing calls for improvements.
In an open letter to ministers, Mr Howeson, chairman of First Great Western's stakeholder advisory board, argues weather that has "cut off the far South West from the national railway network" is having "a seriously detrimental economic impact in addition to the inconvenience caused to leisure travellers".
He added the closures "reinforce the perception of the region's remoteness from key business markets".
Mr Howeson writes: "In the context of unstable climate, severe weather events are evidently becoming more frequent, and it is clear that measures need to be taken to ensure the long-term resilience of the far South West's rail network. We are keen to ensure that such measures will be effective, while recognising the need to pursue solutions that are proportionate and affordable."
But he argues Network Rail, the state quango which runs the track, must look beyond improvements to Cowley Bridge.
Mr Howeson writes: "Cowley Bridge junction is only one of a series of vulnerable points in the same river catchment along the railway from Taunton to Exeter."
He adds: "There is no point in spending very large amounts of money at Cowley Bridge junction alone if flooding capable of causing severe service disruption is still likely to occur further up the line."
He calls for a "more strategic review of options", arguing "short-term fixes, or very long term solutions that address just one element of the problem, are both inappropriate".
"What must not be ignored here is the need to secure and future-proof the resilience of the railway network across and for the region, measures which will become ever more important if severe weather events continue to take place as frequently as they have been of late," Mr Howeson concludes.
Nick Buckland, businessman and former deputy chairman of the now abolished South West Regional Development Agency, also serves on the board.
"The problem is, there is a perception that the whole of the South West is cut off," he said, arguing that it discourages holidaymakers and businesses investing in the area. "That is not entirely true but that is the impression that it gives." He added: "The responsibility is split between Network Rail and the Environment Agency ^ and there is a bit of a demarcation dispute as to what you can do.
"What we would like is Government to cut through the nonsense."
Earlier this year, Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, conceded it is "unacceptable" the Westcountry's mainline was cut off from the rest of the country as a result of flooding, and has held crisis meetings between Network Rail and the region's
MPs▸ .
Network Rail has been ordered by the Department for Transport to review 40 vulnerable sites on the route.
Letter from the chairman...
To: The Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State for the Environment
The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport
The Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills
Richard Benyon MP, Minister, for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Simon Burns MP, Minister, Department for Transport
Mark Prisk MP, Minister, Business, Innovation & Skills.
I must emphasise that this letter is NOT written by or on behalf of the train operating company, which in the normal course it is our task to hold to account. We have instead had board level discussions with Network Rail directly about the recent severe weather-related disruptions to rail services in the South West because of our serious concerns about their affect on the wider economy of the far South West. This has covered the flooding and other events across the Western Region that followed exceptionally heavy rain in November and December 2012. Of particular significance for rail services to the far South West were floods east of Exeter and a landslip between Teignmouth and Dawlish.
THE CHALLENGE
Disruptive weather events are of great concern because they cut off the far South West from the national railway network and have been shown to have a seriously detrimental economic impact in addition to the inconvenience caused to leisure travellers. They also serve to reinforce the perception of the region^s remoteness from key business markets just as
LEPs» and local government are pursuing the reverse.
In the context of unstable climate, severe weather events are evidently becoming more frequent, and it is clear that measures need to be taken to ensure the long term resilience of the far South West^s rail network. We are keen to ensure that such measures will be effective, while recognising the need to pursue solutions that are proportionate and affordable.
With media and public focus on Cowley Bridge Junction it is understandable that most attention has been paid to measures aimed at preventing flooding at this location. This junction is not only significant in relation to flooding of the railway, it is also central to the Environment Agency^s plans to protect the city of Exeter from inundation. However, Cowley Bridge Junction is only one of a series of vulnerable points in the same river catchment along the railway from Taunton to Exeter. The others are Whiteball Tunnel, Hele and Bradninch and Stafford^s Bridge and when Cowley Bridge Junction floods, at least one of these other sites is likely to flood to the point that trains would be unable to pass.
In this context we believe that the current region-wide pressure to find a medium-term solution only at Cowley Bridge Junction should instead be focused on examining options actually capable of addressing the issue in the long term. There is no point in spending very large amounts of money at Cowley Bridge Junction alone if flooding capable of causing severe service disruption is still likely to occur further up the line...
Discussions about solutions and funding need to be more genuinely multi-agency and take into account the numerous and potentially conflicting obligations and perspectives of the parties involved. For example, the Environment Agency is concerned with protecting against the flooding of people^s houses while Network Rail^s role is to keep trains running. Today the two objectives are simply not complementing each other in terms of proposed solutions.
Both organisations thus have an interest in improving the situation at Cowley Bridge Junction but their proposed actions are very different. The Environment Agency^s unilateral announcement about its plans for the protection of Exeter from further flooding without reaching an agreement with
NR» is clearly less than helpful in this regard.
CONCLUSION
It is very clear to us that a more strategic review of options is now required and all involved stakeholders will need to think more creatively about effective area based actions reflecting the strategic regional interests. Short term fixes, or very long term solutions that address just one element of the problem are both inappropriate. What must not be ignored here is the need to secure and futureproof the resilience of the railway network across and for the region, measures which will become ever more important if severe weather events continue to take place as frequently as they have been of late.
ACTIONS REQUIRED
We thus now urge much more effective stakeholder partnership working with immediate effect. We see no alternative to this taking place at all levels, involving local representation and action, as well as that by Network Rail and the Environment Agency.
The existing progress made since Christmas is not satisfactory in our view. Instead we now request a joint (Defra/
DfT» ) Ministerial examination of the situation above the level of Network Rail and the Environment Agency (who are clearly NOT able to reach agreement, even at national level) with the remit being to:
- Identify a clear sustainable long-term area-based solution,
- Identify responsibility for funding it and leading it, and then
- Establish the timescale for its delivery, all within an urgent timescale.
Yours sincerely
Charles Howeson
Chairman
The
FGW▸ Trains Advisory Board
