Council leader welcomes Labour's support for rail link

Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans has welcomed the commitment by a senior Labour politician for a fast new railway line between Plymouth and Exeter.

The announcement was made by Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls as he visited Exeter this morning. Mr Balls said that the next Labour government would prefer a fast new railway line between the two cities and dismissed George Osborne's cross-country alternative.

Councillor Evans said: “I have long been saying that the rail service in Plymouth is simply not good enough for a city this size and we need a decent alternative that avoids the slow coastal route past Dawlish where train speeds drop to 60 mph.

“We have always said George Osborne’s preferred route would actually add more time to journeys from London which in turn would inconvenience business travellers even further and the fact that senior Labour ministers have listened to our concerns is music to my ears.

“Right now the Government only spends £41 per head on rail in the South West compared to £101 per head in Yorkshire and £294 in London, this just shows how desperate this region is for a decent rail link.”

Councillor Evans has long been campaigning for more investment in the regions rail links. Last March he was joined by Plymouth City Council’s Chief Executive, Tracey Lee for a meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin on the urgent need for the Government to address the poor rail connectivity to the far South West. He has also had several meetings with the Prime Minister about his concerns.