Regional Transport Inequality

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

Since I was elected last July, I have become closely acquainted with the long-distance London Paddington to Penzance line, which a number of my colleagues have mentioned. There was a big storm in 2014, and we were properly cut off for eight weeks; we could not get in or out of Cornwall by rail, because there is only one way to do so. Since then, an awful lot has been done to improve the resilience of the line, but phase 5 will be vital to strengthening the vulnerable coastal section and maintaining connectivity for Cornwall.

Cornwall sees a huge population increase in the summer, with about 4 million visitors, but we lack reliable year-round connections, which constrains our economy and restricts growth, as well as creating social isolation. Many of our students must travel for over an hour on public transport to further education providers, and travelling between their apprenticeships and colleges is often impossible, restricting their prospects.

As a result of our 2015 devolution deal, Cornwall council obtained greater transport powers, such as franchising and partnership agreements with local bus providers, which has helped and led to an increase in bus patronage. Cornwall was the first rural area in England to introduce smart ticketing, but that came at a cost: the council subsidises 50% of the public transport network, and it costs us an awful lot of money.

Under the previous Tory Government, the south-west had some of the lowest identifiable expenditure on public transport, at just £429 per head—the second lowest after the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson). I welcome the Government’s focus on long-term investment in transport infrastructure, including the fourfold increase in local transport grants. The funding for potholes will be hugely important in Cornwall, which has more than 4,600 miles of small roads.

The investment will be crucial for Cornwall’s economic growth. Cornwall’s chamber of commerce has said that transport connectivity is the top priority for the businesses it represents, because our transport links really hold us back. We used to receive EU funding of up to £1 billion, much of which was ploughed into transport because we did not have the funding from elsewhere. We have branch lines that would not exist had it not been for that money, but the funding has dried up now that the shared prosperity fund has finished, so we need the investment to continue.

Electrifying the main line would really help. Currently, there is a branch line passenger service that runs from Truro to Falmouth. There was a freight rail line at the end of it, so just 150 yards would open up so much for new industries such as critical minerals and would enable aggregates to be moved around. We have an airport that desperately needs a new public service obligation. Investment in transport infrastructure in Cornwall is essential for our economic growth and success in the future.