Devon is turning integrated transport from a buzz phrase to a reality. ANDY RODEN talks to Devon County Council transport head and Peninsula Transport Chair CLLR ANDREA DAVIS about the area’s ambition, concerns and achievements
When regular passenger services resumed on the Dartmoor line between Exeter and Okehampton in November 2021, observers from further afield might well have concluded that it was mission accomplished. After all, the first of the vaunted Restoring your Railway (RyR) projects was completed; Network Rail’s Project Speed initiative proved. With resilience works ongoing at Dawlish, the county is receiving investment in its railways.
But for Devon, this isn’t enough. For many years, Devon County Council (DCC) has been amongst the most active in England in its promotion of rail use in rural areas, and a highly involved member of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, which has done so much to boost usage of the region’s branch lines.
Leading the charge for the last few years has been Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport Cllr Andrea Davis, who has garnered a deserved reputation for her deep transport knowledge and passion for, to coin a phrase, getting things done.
