“The Chancellor used his Budget to underline £7 billion being spent on transport in the region, and said a new rail contract will bring “new Inter-city Express trains and greatly improved rail services”.
But it later emerged Mr Osborne was only referring to existing discussions over awarding the Great Western franchise to First Group, which is scheduled to take place in 2019.
The Budget “red book” referred to “shortly setting out details” of a new deal, which would include “more frequent services and faster journey times” as well as new express trains.
It was already known that from 2017 the first of 50 new sets of modern high-speed trains will start running on the Great Western line as part of a £4.5 billion Government investment. However, none will travel on the “second” line from London to Penzance via Plymouth, but only the route to Bristol and Wales.
The new diesel-electric hybrid trains can not get to the peninsula, where not an inch of track is electrified, chiefly because they are not powerful enough to mount the hilly terrain.”
Presumably we are the Much Too Far Far South West!
East Devon Watch 