08:58 - 29-August-2008 (Express & Echo)
ON SATURDAY, August 16 (Your Views Extra section), David Bailey of Dawlish wrote an important letter about Devon's rail services. I agree with every word he wrote.
From a resident of Paignton and a member of Torbay Council, I can reassure him that others are complaining about the proposals to terminate all rail services at Exeter St David's from Waterloo as from December 2009.
This would deprive two principal urban areas west of Exeter, Torbay and Plymouth, of their direct services from Waterloo, and this will also impact on places like Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Ivybridge as well.
The difficulty so far has been the inability of the Department for Transport to listen to anyone.
With regard to the two through services to Paignton on Monday to Friday, for example, the minister concerned maintains that these services are under-utilised. Really!?
Click here!
Well, this includes the 1735 service which leaves Exeter Central, and this train is always full and a peak-hour service to Torbay.
The same issue was raised at the Salisbury to Exeter Lineside Consortium of Authorities (SELCA) meeting, which I attended on July 22 at Yeovil Junction.
Other members of this were horrified to hear of the Department for Transport proposals, and are backing us (Torbay and Plymouth) fully, so we have support from places like Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire as well as Devon.
To echo David Bailey's comments, it is important that everyone complains about the proposals, especially the relevant Chambers of Trade, for we need more visitors to the area, not fewer, as cuts in direct services will lead to people being 'put off' using trains.
As central government has a 'carbon footprint' agenda, we should be making more use of rail services — in fact more should be provided rather than less!
Cllr IAN DOGGETT
Clifton-with-Maidenway ward, Torbay Council
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