MP steps up calls to improvements to Dawlish railway station

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Exeter Express & Echo:

Politician Anne Marie Morris has stepped up her campaign for improvements to Dawlish railway station.

The Newton Abbot parliamentarian is calling for the bridge to be painted and for lifts to be installed.

She has previously highlighted the importance of investing in Brunel's famed Exeter to Plymouth railway line.

She described it as "one of the most beautiful train journeys that can be taken in Europe".

Ms Morris has vowed to contact Network Rail to discuss the improvements to the railway bridge and installing lifts at the station to make it more accessible.

And the rail operator says it is doing all it can with the buildings already there.

Ms Morris said: "With Dawlish station, I think we really must look seriously at giving the bridge a much needed and long overdue lick of paint. I also believe we need to look at the feasibility of installing lifts at the station to ensure easy access is available. Our railway line is a tourist attraction in itself. It's why I have constantly stood up for our railway line and will always continue to do so. It is, however, all the more important that we ensure our stations and surrounding areas match the high standard set by the train journey people have just experienced."

A Network Rail spokeswoman said problems with infrastructure were historic. "We have an inherited railway from a Victorian era when, unfortunately, many stations were not designed to provide disabled access," she said.

[devon_metro]

Read this on Saturday, somewhat bemused that she wants to install lifts - the platform structure doesn't look particularly sturdy to build upon.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

deffo needs painting, last time i was there it looked such a mess

[grahame]

And the rail operator says it is doing all it can with the buildings already there.

deffo needs painting, last time i was there it looked such a mess

Hmmm ... I those two statements seem to be mutually exclusive.   Even if the station is a listed building, it can be painted AFAIK^▸ ('as far as I know').  Somehow I take the rail operator's comment with a pinch of salt (very appropriate for a seafront station), and I trust to relex109's analysis, colloquial though it is!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

i should have been more specific... i was mainly referring to the footbridge

[devon_metro]

I think the issue FGW^▸ (First Great Western) has to contend with is that the paintwork will deteriorate very quickly - as it does in any location near to be sea, Dawlish station being somewhat exceptional. As such I think they are simply holding on as long as possible as clearly spending lots of money on the bridge is not really viable.