Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Railway Resilience Work: Dawlish

Thursday 28 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Work is under way on the second phase of the new sea wall at Dawlish, following the opening of the first phase in September 2021.
  • The Minister assured Gary Streeter that the next phase of work to secure the cliff face will not be delayed or compromised to ensure continuous rail services.
  • Network Rail is committed to improving the resilience of the rail line at Dawlish, a vital transport artery.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gary Streeter Con
Transport
Context

No specific background context provided in the exchange.

Question

What recent progress Network Rail has made on railway resilience work at Dawlish.

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

Work is under way on the second phase of the new sea wall following the opening of the first phase, which I was happy to open in person in September—one of the few visits that I have been able to make in the last year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on the progress or completion timelines for the resilience work at Dawlish

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Q2 Gary Streeter Con
Transport
Context

The region has suffered significant disruption in the past due to issues with the rail link from Plymouth to Paddington, and there is concern about delays or compromises in the next phase of work.

Question

Can he assure me today that the next phase of work at Dawlish, to secure the cliff face from crumbling on to the track, will not be delayed or compromised, in order to ensure that essential rail services can continue along this iconic part of the journey?

Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris

I thank my hon. Friend; I am sure that the ticker tape and dried rose petals are still being cleared. I am happy to assure him that we remain committed to improving the resilience of this vital transport artery. Network Rail is continuing to develop proposals for further phases of the resilience programme, using £17.2 million of Government funding that has already been given.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific assurance or timeline regarding the next phase of work at Dawlish

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