This is Devon -- Jim French believes the Dawlish rail crisis should be a catalyst for a fundamental review of the Westcountry's transport links by a Government-backed Independent Commission Once again a significant proportion of the Westcountry is cut off from rail services due flooding. And this time the disruption may last for weeks if not months. This is not the fault of First Great Western nor the track operator and it is too easy to blame this on any previous Government and frankly, who is to blame is irrelevant in any case. It's not a priority today because it doesn't address the issue but it's great for political side swiping or side stepping! What we all need now is to use this current crisis as the catalyst for a different approach to the fundamental question about what do with regard to improving the long term access and communications into and out of the Westcountry. We need a Government sponsored Independent Commission whose brief is to produce a strategic plan for connectivity into the South West which would be endorsed and supported by all political parties in order to ensure that any such plan would not be scrapped simply were there to be a change of Government. We have had too many of these previously, written by well-meaning bodies within the region but unless this is a Government-backed Commission, it will simply go into to the "must look into at some future stage" file. And we have the intellectual capacity through our excellent academic institutions in the South West to undertake such a task. But we need the Government to back it from the outset. Such a plan must encompass road, rail and air. And let's not kid ourselves, we have significant issues with all three which will require radical solutions and major investments. And whilst we may not be able to afford everything immediately, we could at least have a framework within which to work and deliver in the future. At the moment all we do is spend millions of pounds every year repairing flood damage to the main rail route which is washed away the next. We have no long term permanent fix. And this does not even mention the appalling congestion and the totally substandard product offering compared to other trunk rail services across the UK. The rail route into the South West Peninsula is a not a regional route, it is a trunk route as is London-Leeds, Manchester or Newcastle. And we must have the same standard as enjoyed by those other communities. Business travellers waste hours of every day travelling up and down to the Westcountry with a less than useless phone and internet connectivity. The standard offered is simply not good enough. It may well be that the economics of attempting to serve deep into Cornwall may prove as difficult as it is to serve Inverness or Aberdeen but let's give First Great Western the opportunity to explain this. They have made many improvements in recent years and their staff try their best. But we may be asking the impossible from an economic standpoint and if so, then such a Commission should highlight this. The cost of building a new line from Exeter direct to Cornwall is almost certainly prohibitive and unrealistic and even if it were approved, it would take decades to build – assuming the various lobbyists did not kill it off! But what can be done with the current line? Nothing? I don't think so. The Government should direct this Commission to come with alternative solutions, radical and alternative scenarios with the simple core objective to improve what we have today. Meanwhile, on the roads we see massive traffic congestion every summer when the tourists flock into the area and bring their millions of welcome pounds with them. When the M5 was closed last year after a horrific pile-up near Taunton, just imagine what that would have done in a summer month? We all know we have the problem of the Blackdown Hills and preserving nature but are we really prepared to sacrifice the economies in the extreme South West because of this? There have to be compromises over this issue or we will all suffer. But we need to address these and this Commission should be tasked with making such proposals for compromise. Our air links have been decimated this last decade due to many factors, not least of which has been the recession. But that is too simple an excuse. Virtually every other country in Europe has a long standing scheme to support regional air connectivity for local communities. Yes, the Government have come up with a short term solution but we need a long term solution as other countries have. Again, this Commission should use other countries in Europe as a template for what we should do. The opportunity is here now to take a different approach. I urge the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, to grasp this opportunity and take a leading initiative in determining a long-term solution for the Westcountry. Don't leave this to well meaning local bodies as has been done before. Step up and take on this responsibility as Government since this is a core strategy issue for the region. And if you are serious about redistributing the wealth of this country away from the South East, then unless the issue of connectivity into the SouthWest is addressed, then you are consigning the Westcountry to a significant handicap from the outset which will without any doubt, cause it fail to meet its true potential. Jim French is the former CEO and chairman of Flybe and also the former chairman of the CBI in the South West. He has lived and worked in transport in Devon for over 30 years.
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