DfT funds study to investigate improving train speeds to south-west England

The DfT and Great Western Railway have announced funding for a new study into improvements to railway infrastructure between London and Devon and Cornwall.

The study to be carried out by Network Rail will look at "what more can be done to existing track, signalling, and other railway infrastructure to improve line speed and ensure the full benefits of new trains coming onto the network are realised," the DfT said. The work would inform a report that the Peninsula Rail Task Force, comprising five local authorities, will provide to the Government, and future franchises on the route.

Rail minister Claire Perry said the Government was "absolutely committed to improving the resilience of the south-west's rail network". Twenty-nine new long-distance trains would cut journey-times to Penzance by up to 14 minutes. GWR said given the investment in the new fleet, we "need to take the opportunity now to make sure the right infrastructure can be in place to maximise the journey-time benefits the AT300 fleet will bring".

An earlier Network Rail study into building alternative rail routes into Cornwall and Devon bypassing the disaster-prone Exeter-Newton Abbott section found all options represented very poor value-for-money. The Peninsula Rail Taskforce has urged electrification to Devon and Cornwall in an interim-report into what more can be done to improve the line.