THE Peninsula Rail Task Force has launched the consultation on its 20-year plan for the South West rail network.

The plan sets out the vision for the peninsula’s rail connectivity and the potential improvements needed to achieve this during the next 20 years.

Chair of the Peninsula Rail Task Force, Councillor Andrew Leadbetter said: “The report is an important milestone in the Task Force’s continuous campaign to improve rail links in the peninsula.

"It demonstrates the current strengths and weaknesses of the South West and most importantly our strong yet untapped economic potential that can only be unlocked through better connectivity – our business case for investment.

“I urge all rail users, businesses and communities within the South West to get involved and let us have your views on the report. Our business case is informed by the views and priorities of anyone travelling, living and working in the West Country.

"Your contribution helps the PRTF to strengthen the case for investment by demonstrating the needs of our stakeholders.

“We have been working tirelessly to get to this point, but there is still a lot more to do to achieve our ambition of a resilient railway with faster journey times and enough capacity for passengers to travel in comfort.

"The Task Force will submit the plan to government in July and we will continue to work closely with our partners, Network Rail and the Department for Transport to examine all feasible options.”

The consultation will be open until May 27 so that feedback can be considered before the final report is drawn up and presented to the Department of Transport in July.

Some details are not available in the draft report due to Network Rail’s timescales in preparing the long-term plans but outline data is included, where possible.

The draft report can be downloaded from the website: www.peninsularailtaskforce.co.uk .

Feedback can be submitted through the short online survey which can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PRTF20YEARPLAN or on the Task Force’s website.

The Peninsula Rail Task Force is a rail improvement campaign group comprising Cornwall Council, Cornwall and Scillies LEP, Devon County Council, Heart of the South West LEP, Plymouth City Council, Somerset County Council and Torbay Council.

Alan Quick