The petition of residents of Northern Devon,
Declares that the Tarka Rail Line between Barnstaple and Exeter needs structural improvements to the line’s capacity and resiliency.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the government to ask Network Rail and Great Western Rail to prioritise the Tarka Line for improvements, and to work together to make rail travel in North Devon more resilient.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Ian Roome, Official Report, 4 February 2026; Vol. 780, c. 376.]
[P003161]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Keir Mather):
We are grateful to the petitioners for raising their concerns about the Tarka rail line between Barnstaple and Exeter, and for emphasising the importance of a resilient railway for communities in North Devon. We are grateful for the patience of communities while the railway has been closed in recent weeks following two major storms hitting Devon and Cornwall one after another, which caused flooding on a number of branch lines including the Tarka line.
Responsibility for managing, maintaining and developing rail infrastructure in England lies with Network Rail. During the current funding cycle, which runs from 2024 to 2029, Network Rail allocated £19 million to a stand-alone resilience budget focused on resilience activities, directly addressing the impacts of weather on the Wales and western region. Network Rail’s commitments to addressing the long-term challenge of climate and weather resilience are set out in the “Wales and Western Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Plan Control Period 7 2024-2029”, which can be found at:
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wales-Western-CP7-WRCCA.pdf
Great Western Railway, the operator of services on the Tarka rail line, works closely with Network Rail to support long-term planning for the route, and to maintain a reliable operation. Both organisations routinely assess network needs, including capacity, asset condition, passenger demand and resilience to increasingly severe weather.
The rainfall since the new year has been exceptional and the effects across the land generally and to all modes of transport are much worse than normal. This resulted in prolonged closure of the Tarka line while waiting for the water to recede to enable divers to safely inspect the foundations of the bridges. During this time, Network Rail worked to ensure the line could be reopened as soon as possible, which it did on 20 February 2026.
We recognise that the railway provides an essential link for residents, businesses and visitors in North Devon. Resilience to extreme weather and operational pressures is a growing national priority. While decisions on specific improvement schemes must balance needs across the wider rail network, the issues raised by petitioners will inform future planning and consideration of options for the region.
Over the last 10 years, significant investment has been made across the North Devon line to improve reliability, resilience and overall performance. This includes 12 km of track renewals, with a further 2.5 km planned next month, bridge replacements near Crediton and Coleford, and drainage improvement work on key culverts.
Major flood resilience work has also been undertaken at Cowley Junction, north-east of Exeter, including the installation of a deployable flood defence barrier and the construction of large flood drains to allow water to pass safely beneath the railway.
These measures have strengthened the line’s reliability, but with more severe weather events becoming more frequent, further improvements are necessary.
Network Rail is also trialling new technology to monitor for potential scour damage to bridges, damage that currently requires assessment by specialist divers before the line can reopen after flooding.
Further improvements include additional track renewal and maintenance work scheduled for this spring, which will improve overall reliability on the Tarka line. In addition, the introduction of class 175 trains on routes in Devon and Cornwall will provide additional fleet resilience across GWR routes once they are all in service including this route between Exeter and Barnstaple.
We remain committed to working with the rail industry to improve the resilience of the network and supporting continuous improvement across rural and regional routes. Network Rail and GWR will continue to collaborate to ensure services on the North Devon line, and across the wider network, are delivered safely and with due regard to the needs of passengers and local communities. We understand the vital role this line plays for North Devon and will continue working with stakeholders and industry partners to explore further opportunities to enhance flood mitigation and recovery.