Today Anne Marie Morris MP met with representatives of Network Rail to receive an update on the Rail Resilience works that are taking place as a result of the Seawall collapse in Dawlish in 2014.
The South West Rail Resilience Programme is a set of enhancement works designed to improve the resilience of the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth. The Programme has five phases, with three of these five phases having been completed by last August. The two remaining phases - implementing cliff resilience measures along the 1.8km section of railway running along the coastline from Parson’s Tunnel to Teignmouth - are either underway (phase four) or approaching their initial design phase (phase five).
Commenting on the update, Anne Marie said: "Earlier this month marked the 10 year anniversary of the ferocious storm in Dawlish which devastated the main railway line in and out of the West Country. Network’s Rail’s Sea-wall project has seen innovative designs coupled with the latest in construction technology to deliver us a more resilient railway than ever before. I am slightly concerned that the money government has earmarked for the remaining parts of this vital programme has not yet materialised. I will definitely be writing to both the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Transport to find out where that promised funding is!"