Always a pleasure chatting to James Churchfield on BBC Cornwall this morning. Apologies for not putting my teeth in properly this morning - the railway section starts at 2hrs 8mins in, starting with Network Rail Western and then me. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

Northern Route Working Group Roger Peter Cleasby Given that this route used to exist, and the big picture includes the need for:

* better/more resilient infrastructure
* improving connections to, from & within the South West & Dartmoor
* #LevellingUp

making the case 'compelling' is surely do-able!

…rthernrouteworkinggroup.wordpress.com/2020/12/10/dev…

The latest Modern Railways has an article by Andy Bowes-Roden = = on the TORS proposals to reopen Exeter-Okehampton-Tavistock-Plymouth. A decade after #Dawlish , we think the proposals are worthy of detailed investigation to establish once and for all whether there's a case.

Good show from Anne Marie Morris MP here. The South West Rail Resilience Programme is the single most important rail priority for the SW. Money was no object in 2014, remember, and the plan - which runs into the 2070s - still ain't funded despite excellent work by NR. DfT, exdigitate, please.

A great paper here from Greengauge 21 on transport and adaptation to climate change. Note the difference between 'resilience' and 'adaptation'. De-silo transport thinking and above all, plan for the long-term. In the SW, #NorthernRoute /full #DartmoorLine are critical.

Our new year message is that we need to integrate bus and rail services across the whole country - see our first blog of the year: Okehampton's new multi-modal interchange greengauge21.net/okehamptons-mu… PlymouthHerald Western Morning News

It's the 60th anniversary of The Reshaping of British Railways in March. We're hoping to get our revised proposals for this reinstatement out to mark that day. It seems appropriate.

Jim Chisholm Mark Annand Forgotten Relics If it were possible to extend the Granite Way to the edge of Tavistock, that creates a wonderful multi-use trail that will surely be as much of an attraction as the Camel Trail in Cornwall. A no brainer not just to retain but to enhance as part of the project.

I spoke to Andy Bowes-Roden = = about the Northern Route Working Group campaign for reopening the railway across Dartmoor from Okehampton to Tavistock and into Bere Alston. It makes a nice read in Inside Track.

issuu.com/raildirector/d…

Peter Hitchens makes the case for #NorthernRoute reopening in the Mail. dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: Eight years after the breach: latest Dawlish progress hubs.ly/Q013x68h0

Fantastic thread. The rail press never take it for granted when out and about regarding safety, and nor should we ever take it for granted how lucky we are to be in such a privileged position.

BBC Devon Sigh... the umbilical cord linking Cornwall with the outside world temporarily and understandably cut. Don't forget too that closures such as this act as a HUGE deterrent to freight operators shifting lorries off the road. Which is why Northern Route Working Group work is so vital.