MPs have warned Devon’s rail network is under growing pressure after storms and flooding forced repeated closures and disrupted thousands of journeys.
Politicians representing parts of the county say recent disruption has highlighted the vulnerability of key rail routes and the urgent need for long-term investment to protect services used by commuters, students and patients.
Speaking at a meeting focused on the future of the North Devon line, North Devon MP Ian Roome said the past winter had shown how fragile the network can be.
“I do not think any of us would have fully realised what a hard winter would turn out to be for rail travel in Devon,” he said.
Mr Roome said the North Devon line had experienced three closures since November, two due to flooding and another following Storm Chandra in late January.
“I am sure many of you will have been as shocked as I was to see a video of flood water washing away the track bed and Network Rail teams rushing to make emergency repairs,” he said.
“By the way, I think they have done a really good job, the workers have really worked hard on trying to get those repairs done.”
He said the disruption had caused widespread problems across the region.
“Since then, my inbox has been full of stories from people from North Devon whose daily lives have been turned upside down by a sudden halt in the train services,” Mr Roome said.
“Everyone in this room will know just how many students use the line. Many of them have missed days or weeks of education and training in Exeter.
“Commuters cannot get to work, patients cannot reach the Royal Devon and Exeter for more specialist treatments and neither can NHS staff.”
Mr Roome thanked operators running replacement bus services but said the road network could not cope with the extra demand.
“Our road network in Devon was not built with this kind of extra capacity in mind,” he said.
The MP also pointed to growing public support for improvements to the Tarka line.
“Here in North Devon our petition in support of upgrading the Tarka Line broke 3,000 signatures,” he said.
“But of course this is not just a Liberal Democrat campaign or even a North Devon campaign. This effort has widespread support from local councils across the area of all political stripes and none.”
Mr Roome said MPs across Devon had raised the issue with ministers in Westminster.
“Several of us in this room get the job of relating this tale of woe to the rail minister Lord Hendy and I also told the chancellor in the spring statement we need the investment in the rail line,” he said.
“She has promised me a visit with the relevant minister to sort that out.”
He said investment worth “tens of millions of pounds” would be needed to improve resilience and capacity.
“The next bad winter is never more than one year away,” he said.
Mr Roome also warned that housing growth in Barnstaple would likely increase demand for rail travel, pointing to around 200 new homes being built near the town’s railway station.
“Those record passenger numbers on this line are going to keep climbing,” he said.
“So we can be a quaint regional branch line with a shaky reputation or build a real engine for growth for our half of Devon.”
Exeter MP Steve Race also highlighted the wider impact of recent disruption: “The severity and irregularity of storms across the peninsula have transitioned into an annual occurrence presenting significant challenges to the resilience of our railway infrastructure.”
He said recent closures had affected several key routes including the line at Dawlish, the route between Taunton and Exeter St David’s, and the Barnstaple line.
“These disruptions have a tangible impact on our economy and our people,” Mr Race said.
“Exeter College students have already missed 10% of their course as a direct result of these infrastructure failures.”
He said businesses had also felt the effects, with some unable to operate normally during periods of disruption.
To better understand the impact, Mr Race said he had written to organisations across the region to gather data.
“Additionally, I am meeting with the transport secretary to discuss forward planning with my colleagues,” he said.
He added that improving the North Devon line remained a priority.
