Any news on proposals to build an alternative route between Exeter & Plymouth?

[pt_mad]

So, to go back directly to whether the line between Tavistock and Okehampton could realistically be reopened....

Is there currently a branch just East of Plymouth which leads in that direction and ends? where the line used to join up.

What would then need to be done to reinstate the former line in between? I believe there's a viaduct which may need to be rebuilt? Would ground need to be relevelled and bridges rebuilt etc? What could the estimated cost be? How would journey time stack up against the reopened route Vs via Newton Abbot between Plymouth and Exeter?

Did I read once there is or was a quarry somewhere up Okehampton way and those trains do or have used that line in the past to Okehampton or am I getting mixed up?

 

[HowardGWR]

So, to go back directly to whether the line between Tavistock and Okehampton could realistically be reopened....

Is there currently a branch just East of Plymouth which leads in that direction and ends? where the line used to join up.

What would then need to be done to reinstate the former line in between? I believe there's a viaduct which may need to be rebuilt? Would ground need to be relevelled and bridges rebuilt etc? What could the estimated cost be? How would journey time stack up against the reopened route Vs via Newton Abbot between Plymouth and Exeter?

Did I read once there is or was a quarry somewhere up Okehampton way and those trains do or have used that line in the past to Okehampton or am I getting mixed up?

The latter. It might be good to spend some time on Wikipedia and Google maps, as the answers are all there. You need 'LSWR route Exeter Plymouth' and 'GWR Tavistock Launceston' as useful key words to search with.

 

[swt_passenger]

So, to go back directly to whether the line between Tavistock and Okehampton could realistically be reopened....

Is there currently a branch just East of Plymouth which leads in that direction and ends? where the line used to join up?

I don’t think current proposals include the old branch east of Plymouth, but rely on the expectation that the Tamar Valley route would have already reached Tavistock.

 

[greyman42]

I think the answer is that its not going to happen.

 

[snowball]

Press release (not about the Okehampton route)

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...otect-vital-railway-artery-to-the-south-west/

Network Rail is holding a series of community drop-in sessions this autumn to update residents and the local community on its ongoing work to improve resilience of the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth in Devon.

Three community drop-in events will be held in Dawlish, Holcombe and Teignmouth on the following dates:

• Tuesday 30 October – Dawlish Methodist Church, Dawlish, EX7 9PB from 14.30-17.30
• Wednesday 7 November – Teignmouth Library – 19A Fore St, Teignmouth TQ14 8DY from 16.00-19.00
• Thursday 15 November – Holcombe Village Hall, Holcombe from 16.00-19.00

Representatives from Network Rail along with world leading engineers in coastal, tunnel, cliff and railway engineering will provide an update on the detailed studies that they have been conducting along the railway line between Teignmouth and Dawlish this year.

These studies ensure the challenging and complex mix of terrain and engineering involved are fully assessed, and help inform the detailed design for any recommendations to make this vital artery for the South West more resilient to extreme weather.

Such is the scale and importance of the challenge that Network Rail has now established a dedicated South West Rail Resilience Programme to identify and implement the best options to improve rail resilience of this iconic stretch of railway. This is to avoid a repetition of the events of 2014 when the line was closed for eight weeks after extreme weather washed away the seawall and a massive landslide blocked the railway with 20,000 tonnes of material. The cost of the loss of rail services to the local and regional economy was more than £1billion.

The South West Rail Resilience Programme’s work is being funded by £15 million of government funding from the Department for Transport, which has seen world-leading engineers in coastal, tunnel, cliff and railway engineering conducting detailed studies along the route between Teignmouth and Dawlish.

These studies are helping to determine what is happening to the cliffs and coastline, in order that the viability of a number of alternative solutions can be established. These options will help to secure the long-term future of this vital rail artery, which serves communities and businesses in South Devon and Cornwall, and connects the region to the rest of the UK.

Mark Langman, managing director for Network Rail’s western route said: “It is not only vital for us to identify the most effective engineering solutions to protect this iconic stretch of railway, but also to consider any environmental implications and engage with local communities on the details of any potential schemes.

“Getting this right for everyone is absolutely at the forefront of our minds as our world leading engineers continue their investigations into 2019. We are looking forward to speaking to local people at our events this autumn.”

Longer-term options for making the railway more resilient in this region will be presented to the public, local councils and government in spring/summer 2019 once analysis of the engineering studies has been completed.

Anyone who is unable to attend can contact the national helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or can follow @SouthWestRRP on Twitter or Facebook.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think the answer is that its not going to happen.

I tend to agree, and have thought that ever since it first became apparent NR were concentrating investigations on the coastal route; I think Snowball’s recent post just gives further confirmation of that.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

https://twitter.com/bbcmartynoates/status/1055885617916190720/video/1

It would appear that funding for the Dawlish upgrade is to be announced in the Budget on Monday - Gary Streeter MP (SW Devon) interview by Martyn Oates (BBC Spotlight Political Editor).

 

[snowball]

NR press release:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...rtery-in-the-south-west-to-start-in-november/

Immediate step to protect vital railway ‘artery’ in the south west to start in November

• Repairs to four breakwaters, which protect the coast from the force of waves, will begin in November to immediately improve protection for the Dawlish sea wall and the railway running along the coast
• The work is expected to take six months and community events will be held in Dawlish, Teignmouth and Holcombe in the coming weeks for local communities to find out more

World leading engineers in coastal, tunnel, cliff and railway engineering are to carry out vital repair work in Dawlish, Devon, in November as Network Rail continues work to safeguard the stretch of railway that connects the south west with the rest of the country.

Repairs will be made to four breakwaters, which are the barriers built out to sea to protect the coast from the force of waves, by expert engineering teams from Network Rail and BAM Nuttall with the vital work set to take six months.

Protecting the route through Dawlish is a national priority and these immediate short-term improvements to the resilience of the railway will be made whilst Network Rail continues with the £15m detailed development of longer term options for government to consider.

As a result, repairs to breakwaters at four locations along the coast will start next month after the structures were identified as being in a poor state of repair and not providing the protection that the coast and, therefore, this iconic stretch of railway line requires. The breakwaters that require repair are at Boat Cove, Coastguards Point, Colonnade Underpass and Langstone Rock.

Along with the breakwater repairs by BAM Nuttall, Arcadis, another leading engineering company, will continue to investigate whether loose material from the top of the cliff above Parsons Tunnel at Holcombe may be removed to stabilise the cliff and therefore reduce the risk of land slips in the short-term.

Such is the scale and importance of the challenge that Network Rail has now established a dedicated South West Rail Resilience Programme to identify and implement the best options to improve rail resilience of this iconic stretch of railway. This is to avoid a repetition of the events of 2014 when the line was closed for eight weeks after extreme weather washed away the seawall and a massive landslide blocked the railway with 20,000 tonnes of material.

The South West Rail Resilience Programme has seen world-leading engineers conducting detailed studies along the route between Teignmouth and Dawlish which will determine what is happening to the cliffs and coastline, in order that the viability of a number of alternative solutions can be established. These options will help to secure the long-term future of this vital rail artery, which serves communities and businesses in South Devon and Cornwall, and connects the region to the rest of the UK.

Network Rail and its engineering experts will be out and about in the community to explain the investigatory work that they are doing over the next few months as well as the immediate works being started in November to strengthen Dawlish sea wall:

• 30 October – Dawlish Methodist Church, Dawlish, EX7 9PB from 14.30-17.30
• 7 November – Teignmouth Library – 19A Fore St, Teignmouth TQ14 8DY from 16.00-19.00
• 15 November – Holcombe Village Hall, Holcombe from 16.00-19.00

Mike Gallop, director of route asset management for Network Rail said: “This section of the railway is vital for many residents and communities in Devon and Cornwall and we are committed to safeguarding it for future generations.

“However, it’s going to take us time to work out the best ways to protect the railway and then deliver these works, so we wanted to find ways now to make the railway more resilient than it currently is. By repairing the breakwaters we can give some immediate protection to the sea wall, the railway and town behind it, and we are looking at how we can put in place immediate, short term measures to reduce the risk of a landslip on the cliff at Holcombe.

“Alongside this, we will continue to work up longer-term options for us to present to the local community, local councils and government in 2019.

“We are acutely mindful of the need to consider the views of the local community, the long-term needs of the environment as well as the need to provide a sustainable railway for Devon and Cornwall.”

Cllr Humphrey Clemens, Teignbridge District Council’s portfolio holder for planning and coastal management, said: “Teignbridge has been working closely with Network Rail since the Dawlish 2014 event and remains keen to assist this regionally important infrastructure being made resilient for the future.

“It is vitally important to ensure that residents’ opinions and suggestions, together with enhancements to the public realm, are incorporated within the medium-term plans. Short term we also recognise the need for ongoing works to the existing breakwaters which should continue to offer some protection from storm events.”

 

[eastdyke]

NR press release:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...rtery-in-the-south-west-to-start-in-november/

Must be very urgent indeed to be starting 6 months work on breakwater defences in November.

 

[tasky]

Everyone's going to shout 'crayonista' at me for this but anyway

The wider social (if, OK, not the financial case) for a new inland fast line through Dartmoor linking Plymouth and Exeter at 125mph or 140mph is really quite strong

- The current journey between those Exeter and Plymouth takes an hour via Dawlish. This is bananas, they are quite big cities pretty much right next to each other. The drive is about 50 minutes

- Depending on the route, acceleration etc such a new line could cut the journey to 15-20 minutes with the existing (or soon to be existing) Intercity Express Programme rolling stock

- That's around 45 minutes off the journey between two pretty large cities, which would completely transform their economies and commuting patterns. Down from an hour to 15 minutes is huge

- It's also 45 minutes off all intercity journeys to Plymouth from everywhere else in the country (including London). Plymouth has so much potential but it is isolated. Exeter is also quite an expensive place to live with a booming housing market and fast population growth, and Plymouth has lots of spare homes. Both cities would benefit

- And you get the same 45+ minute reduction on all journeys to Cornwall, too, from the rest of the country (including London), to its tourist economy. People genuinely fly to Cornwall sometimes which really doesn’t need to be the case

- The existing Dawlish line could be used for slower stopping services serving Newton Abbott etc, presumably you’d be able to intensify that service somewhat, which might make up for people in e.g. Newton Abbott having to change trains in Exeter if they want to get an intercity service

As I say, I’m sure there a million reasons why this is too expensive. You might have to put some of it in a tunnel under Dartmoor. But as a social investment it would have huge payoffs, if the government fancied financing it and actually investing in a region that badly needs investment

 

[swt_passenger]

Everyone's going to shout 'crayonista' at me for this but anyway

The wider social (if, OK, not the financial case) for a new inland fast line through Dartmoor linking Plymouth and Exeter at 125mph or 140mph is really quite strong

- The current journey between those Exeter and Plymouth takes an hour via Dawlish. This is bananas, they are quite big cities pretty much right next to each other. The drive is about 50 minutes

- Depending on the route, acceleration etc such a new line could cut the journey to 15-20 minutes with the existing (or soon to be existing) Intercity Express Programme rolling stock

- That's around 45 minutes off the journey between two pretty large cities, which would completely transform their economies and commuting patterns. Down from an hour to 15 minutes is huge

- It's also 45 minutes off all intercity journeys to Plymouth from everywhere else in the country (including London). Plymouth has so much potential but it is isolated. Exeter is also quite an expensive place to live with a booming housing market and fast population growth, and Plymouth has lots of spare homes. Both cities would benefit

- And you get the same 45+ minute reduction on all journeys to Cornwall, too, from the rest of the country (including London), to its tourist economy. People genuinely fly to Cornwall sometimes which really doesn’t need to be the case

- The existing Dawlish line could be used for slower stopping services serving Newton Abbott etc, presumably you’d be able to intensify that service somewhat, which might make up for people in e.g. Newton Abbott having to change trains in Exeter if they want to get an intercity service

As I say, I’m sure there a million reasons why this is too expensive. You might have to put some of it in a tunnel under Dartmoor. But as a social investment it would have huge payoffs, if the government fancied financing it and actually investing in a region that badly needs investment

Welcome to these forums.

You’ll notice this discussion has been going 18 months now, I think previous discussions suggest there’s going to be a lot of resistance to bypassing the coastal route. I’m on the pessimistic side, I don’t think a new inland fast route is likely at all, and connecting via Okehampton/Tavistock also unlikely. All the published info looks as if protection of the sea wall, possibly with a new offshore breakwater, is what NR are going to rely on.

 

[The Ham]

Everyone's going to shout 'crayonista' at me for this but anyway

The wider social (if, OK, not the financial case) for a new inland fast line through Dartmoor linking Plymouth and Exeter at 125mph or 140mph is really quite strong

- The current journey between those Exeter and Plymouth takes an hour via Dawlish. This is bananas, they are quite big cities pretty much right next to each other. The drive is about 50 minutes

- Depending on the route, acceleration etc such a new line could cut the journey to 15-20 minutes with the existing (or soon to be existing) Intercity Express Programme rolling stock

- That's around 45 minutes off the journey between two pretty large cities, which would completely transform their economies and commuting patterns. Down from an hour to 15 minutes is huge

- It's also 45 minutes off all intercity journeys to Plymouth from everywhere else in the country (including London). Plymouth has so much potential but it is isolated. Exeter is also quite an expensive place to live with a booming housing market and fast population growth, and Plymouth has lots of spare homes. Both cities would benefit

- And you get the same 45+ minute reduction on all journeys to Cornwall, too, from the rest of the country (including London), to its tourist economy. People genuinely fly to Cornwall sometimes which really doesn’t need to be the case

- The existing Dawlish line could be used for slower stopping services serving Newton Abbott etc, presumably you’d be able to intensify that service somewhat, which might make up for people in e.g. Newton Abbott having to change trains in Exeter if they want to get an intercity service

As I say, I’m sure there a million reasons why this is too expensive. You might have to put some of it in a tunnel under Dartmoor. But as a social investment it would have huge payoffs, if the government fancied financing it and actually investing in a region that badly needs investment

How do you get to a journey time saving of 45 minutes when NR came up with at best 15 minutes?

If a train departs from Exeter and travels the circa 45 miles at a constant 140mph it would take 20 minutes and the forces required to get to that speed and back again without adding much more than that would be "uncomfortable" and probably more extreme than jet pilots have to cope with.

 

[tasky]

It's only 45 miles if you go around Dartmoor, which I believe is what NR looked at, still keeping Newton Abbott and other towns like Totnes on the fast line. It is 35 miles if the alignment takes a more direct route through or under Dartmoor.

The current line's route is about 50 miles long, so by cutting the corner you already save a third of the journey time without increasing the speed or removing stops. You appear to be right that 15 minutes is probably a bit too optimistic though, perhaps 20-25 - still a very big saving.

Fag packet numbers: Let's say the line speed averages 90mph and the line ends up being 36 miles long because of terrain - that's still a journey time of 24 minutes. Perfectly realistic, and it's probably possible to do better.

 

[Bald Rick]

Everyone's going to shout 'crayonista' at me for this but anyway

The wider social (if, OK, not the financial case) for a new inland fast line through Dartmoor linking Plymouth and Exeter at 125mph or 140mph is really quite strong

- The current journey between those Exeter and Plymouth takes an hour via Dawlish. This is bananas, they are quite big cities pretty much right next to each other. The drive is about 50 minutes

- Depending on the route, acceleration etc such a new line could cut the journey to 15-20 minutes with the existing (or soon to be existing) Intercity Express Programme rolling stock

- That's around 45 minutes off the journey between two pretty large cities, which would completely transform their economies and commuting patterns. Down from an hour to 15 minutes is huge

- It's also 45 minutes off all intercity journeys to Plymouth from everywhere else in the country (including London). Plymouth has so much potential but it is isolated. Exeter is also quite an expensive place to live with a booming housing market and fast population growth, and Plymouth has lots of spare homes. Both cities would benefit

- And you get the same 45+ minute reduction on all journeys to Cornwall, too, from the rest of the country (including London), to its tourist economy. People genuinely fly to Cornwall sometimes which really doesn’t need to be the case

- The existing Dawlish line could be used for slower stopping services serving Newton Abbott etc, presumably you’d be able to intensify that service somewhat, which might make up for people in e.g. Newton Abbott having to change trains in Exeter if they want to get an intercity service

As I say, I’m sure there a million reasons why this is too expensive. You might have to put some of it in a tunnel under Dartmoor. But as a social investment it would have huge payoffs, if the government fancied financing it and actually investing in a region that badly needs investment

The best journey time would be about 26/27 minutes and that assumes such a new line starts and finishes at the respective stations, which it clearly couldn’t without large scale tunnelling and demolition. I think 30-35 minutes is a more realistic best, ie saving 25-30 minutes. Not to be sniffed at. Nevertheless it is easy to work out what the social benefit of that is - find out how many people travel between Exeter (and ‘east’ thereof) and Plymouth (and west thereof), each year, divide by 2 and multiply by the £/hr socio-economic value of time. Then add in a reasonable assumption about growth driven by the time reduction, which is easily forecast using recognised models.

However there is the thorny issue about intermediate stations. Either they lose a proportion of their service (politically rather difficult), or additional services have to be laid on to keep the same level of frequency. And those services would probably need to go to existing destinations, otherwise (say) Totnes would lose direct services to London, Birmingham etc. Then we need to work out if there is space on the network for these new services elsewhere, and if there isn’t, either include the necessary cost required to provide it, or assess the socio-economic and financial loss for losing the connectivity.

Personally I can’t see how a robust analysis of all the costs and benefits (social and economic) would get remotely close to making a case.

EDit: if you are to keep Newton Abbot and Totnes on the ‘fast line’ then you would probably want to stop trains there. Each stop of a 125mph train costs 5 minutes...

 

[Busaholic]

https://twitter.com/bbcmartynoates/status/1055885617916190720/video/1

It would appear that funding for the Dawlish upgrade is to be announced in the Budget on Monday - Gary Streeter MP (SW Devon) interview by Martyn Oates (BBC Spotlight Political Editor).

Shows how much knowledge/ influence Streeter has! With the exception of Sarah Woolaston, the South West's Tory MPs are an insipid rabble.

 

[tasky]

The best journey time would be about 26/27 minutes and that assumes such a new line starts and finishes at the respective stations, which it clearly couldn’t without large scale tunnelling and demolition. I think 30-35 minutes is a more realistic best, ie saving 25-30 minutes. Not to be sniffed at. Nevertheless it is easy to work out what the social benefit of that is - find out how many people travel between Exeter (and ‘east’ thereof) and Plymouth (and west thereof), each year, divide by 2 and multiply by the £/hr socio-economic value of time. Then add in a reasonable assumption about growth driven by the time reduction, which is easily forecast using recognised models.

However there is the thorny issue about intermediate stations. Either they lose a proportion of their service (politically rather difficult), or additional services have to be laid on to keep the same level of frequency. And those services would probably need to go to existing destinations, otherwise (say) Totnes would lose direct services to London, Birmingham etc. Then we need to work out if there is space on the network for these new services elsewhere, and if there isn’t, either include the necessary cost required to provide it, or assess the socio-economic and financial loss for losing the connectivity.

Personally I can’t see how a robust analysis of all the costs and benefits (social and economic) would get remotely close to making a case.

EDit: if you are to keep Newton Abbot and Totnes on the ‘fast line’ then you would probably want to stop trains there. Each stop of a 125mph train costs 5 minutes...

Yes, taking Totnes etc off the fast lines would be politically very difficult and probably means such a line will never happen.

Though really, does it need a direct intercity service to a city 200 miles away? It's got a population of 8,000. The same goes for the various market towns and villages along the route – if we'd designed the route from scratch would we really be stopping high speed trains at them? Changing at a regional hub seems pretty reasonable - not that their residents would accept that, of course.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The obvious route for a 'LGV' line between Exeter and Plymouth would be to roughly follow the A38 road which is around 44 miles. This would require a long tunnel under Haldon Hill and a substantial viaduct at Buckfastleigh over the River Dart for starters. It would exit Exeter using the stub of the old Teign Valley branch at Alphington and join the present main line at the top of Hemerdon to enter Plymouth. Newton Abbot and Torbay would be served by reusing the Heathfield branch to connect to the LGV. Totnes would have to be content with a 'South Hams Parkway' at Buckfastleigh. The coast line via Dawlish would be retained for local traffic, but singled to aid maintenance.

All pure fantasy of course - all that has happened in the budget is a kicking of the can down the road. Gary Streeter MP has taken a lot of flak on Twitter today for his 'fake news' and other West Country Tory MPs have been unusually silent. The breakwaters mentioned in NR's press releaase are close to the 2014 breach - were they not repaired then or has there been further damage?

 

[Class 170101]

Must be very urgent indeed to be starting 6 months work on breakwater defences in November.

I would agree. Should have been done in the summer when the weather is calmer. Unfortunately it probably means closing the line then duting tourist season - not exactly a popular move.

 

[swt_passenger]

I would agree. Should have been done in the summer when the weather is calmer. Unfortunately it probably means closing the line then duting tourist season - not exactly a popular move.

The work announced is on the ‘breakwaters’ on the beach extending out to sea, shouldn’t affect the line at all.

 

[Cowley]

Having looked through all of the information regarding the breakwaters. Do these plans involve making them more substantial, or just repairing any existing damage to them does anyone know?
I’m struggling to see what difference the work will make during particularly high seas?

 

[eastdyke]

I would agree. Should have been done in the summer when the weather is calmer.

When the nights are short and the days are long?

Having looked through all of the information regarding the breakwaters. Do these plans involve making them more substantial, or just repairing any existing damage to them does anyone know?
I’m struggling to see what difference the work will make during particularly high seas?

Breakwaters reduce the affects of (a)longshore drift - ie coastal erosion. Well placed breakwaters will also assist with building up the beach in critical places.

 

[Bald Rick]

Whilst weather does play a part, surely the key to working on breakwaters at this location is the tide.

 

[MarkyT]

Yes, taking Totnes etc off the fast lines would be politically very difficult and probably means such a line will never happen.

Though really, does it need a direct intercity service to a city 200 miles away? It's got a population of 8,000. The same goes for the various market towns and villages along the route – if we'd designed the route from scratch would we really be stopping high speed trains at them? Changing at a regional hub seems pretty reasonable - not that their residents would accept that, of course.

Totnes and Newton Abbot entry/exit passenger figures together add up to nearly two thirds of those at either Exeter or Plymouth alone, and Totnes in particular generates a lot of longer distance traffic as a major railhead in an affluent area - i.e a lot of people in arts/media travelling to and from the South East, as well as the hippy environmentalists. A Buckfastleigh parkway might build up to similar numbers but the current Totnes station is very well situated for both town and broader area traffic, while apart from the A38 itself I think the other local roads around Buckfastleigh would struggle mightily with extra station traffic, especially in Summer (Totnes does already). I could see a lot of establishment figures bitterly opposing any proposal to take away regular Totnes calls on London trains. A faster, largely new route could also serve Newton Abbot and Totnes easily while still saving significant time. If, with a couple of stops, it could actually equal or beat the legal non stop A38 road time between Exeter and Plymouth that would be a very good start indeed and a Haldon route to bypass Dawlish, perhaps saving up to five miles on the roundabout coastal route with higher speeds to boot could result some very impressive times between Torbay/Teignbridge and Exeter compared to existing. And ten minutes on a segment IS a major saving, remembering that is 20 minutes on a round trip, possibly allowing better stock and crew utilisation, or greater resilience from longer turnback layovers.

 

[takno]

Though really, does it need a direct intercity service to a city 200 miles away? It's got a population of 8,000. The same goes for the various market towns and villages along the route – if we'd designed the route from scratch would we really be stopping high speed trains at them? Changing at a regional hub seems pretty reasonable - not that their residents would accept that, of course.

If the route was designed from scratch would it even do to Plymouth and Cornwall? What use do those places have for a direct train to a city 200 miles away? At the end of the day the usage figures at the station are all that matters. Whether there's 8000 or 80000, if a bunch of people get on the train there then it has as much right to a train as anywhere else

 

[snowball]

Breakwaters reduce the affects of (a)longshore drift - ie coastal erosion. Well placed breakwaters will also assist with building up the beach in critical places.

Aren't those more properly called groynes?

 

[MarkyT]

Aren't those more properly called groynes?

I believe that is the correct term.

The other work NR have been looking onto recently is to move the alignment a little further out to sea for a km or so near Teignmouth to tackle the major risk of cliff collapse in this area.

 

[adrock1976]

Yes, taking Totnes etc off the fast lines would be politically very difficult and probably means such a line will never happen.

Though really, does it need a direct intercity service to a city 200 miles away? It's got a population of 8,000. The same goes for the various market towns and villages along the route – if we'd designed the route from scratch would we really be stopping high speed trains at them? Changing at a regional hub seems pretty reasonable - not that their residents would accept that, of course.

Pedant alert:

Being as the existing line west of Exeter St Davids to Plymouth and Cornwall via Dawlish became a constituent of the Great Western Railway, the terms used are "main line" and "relief line".

Putting into context, Totnes would be downgraded from a "main line" to a "relief line" should if a new inland alignment is ever built, with the new alignment becoming the "main line".

 

[eastdyke]

Aren't those more properly called groynes?

If you wish. The work NR are doing is to repair the 4 named breakwaters which are doing that job, all are shore connected and play a role in building up the beach locally. None are 'out to sea' in the sense of providing a more complete deflection of direct wave action.

 

[deltic08]

When the nights are short and the days are long?


Breakwaters reduce the affects of (a)longshore drift - ie coastal erosion. Well placed breakwaters will also assist with building up the beach in critical places.

When you say breakwaters do you mean groyns or is it a barrier out at sea to reduce the waves before they reach the seawall?

 

[yorksrob]

I think to justify a "new" route, you would need it to serve new areas, rather than just relying on increased resilience/speed. That's why I think Okehampton is more likely.