Railway Link to South West “Failing Basic Needs,” New Study Reveals

The main railway line connecting London to South West England is “sorely in need of investment” following the cancellation of major road improvements in the region, according to a new transport study. The report comes as the government recently scrapped the £2bn Stonehenge tunnel project and other A303 upgrades.

The study, conducted by transport consultants Greengauge 21, paints a concerning picture of a railway that “fails the most basic tests of meeting passenger needs,” with overcrowded peak services and poor reliability. The West of England line through Salisbury has become increasingly crucial following the abandonment of plans to create an “expressway” between the M3 at Basingstoke and the M5 at Taunton.

Performance statistics reveal a troubling situation, with the line meeting its 90% punctuality target only once in the past four months. Nick Hurrell from the Salisbury to Exeter Rail Users Group (SERUG) reports that “over half the trains run late on this line,” despite passenger numbers now exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

The report recommends several key improvements, including the replacement of 35-year-old diesel trains with “discontinuous electrification” – a system where adapted electric trains would use battery power for parts of the route, recharging on new electric “islands.” Additionally, it calls for doubling 12 miles of track to increase service frequency from two to potentially five trains per hour.

“This report shows a forgotten region, where transport policy and investment have been left in the sidings,” says Chris Todd of Transport Action Network, which commissioned the study. He argues that improvements could be funded using “a fraction of the savings” from cancelled road schemes.

The situation particularly affects growing towns such as Mere, Shaftesbury, and Yeovil, which remain dependent on increasingly congested roads. The study also highlights the need to expand single-track sections between Axminster and Exeter to support planned local services and provide alternative routes during flooding events.

While National Highways projects a 30% increase in A303 road traffic by 2039, the government’s decision to cancel major road improvements has left the region without any significant transport infrastructure investment plans, potentially exacerbating existing connectivity issues in Britain’s South West.

A writer who loves all things British.

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