A Virgin Cross Country service passes through Dawlish station. (Image: Getty)
A bold and ambitious vision to build a new train crossing on the and upgrade rail infrastructure in South Wales and the west of England has been unveiled.
The plan was put together by the consortium Western Gateway Partnership, which hopes to transform rail travel in the region and boost economic activity.
The main ticket item is the construction of a new rail crossing of the , which is estimated to cost northwards £1.5 billion.
The crossing is an important part of revolutionising train travel for the region in the long term.
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Bristol end of Severn Tunnel. (Image: Getty)
Currently, trains pass under the river via the Severn tunnel, which was built almost 140 years ago using picks, shovels, drills, and dynamite.
Some 200 trains pass through the four-and-a-half-mile tunnel each day on a route connecting Bristol, and South Wales.
However, railway tracks have to be replaced almost continuously due to the hugely corrosive saltwater atmosphere nearly 150ft (50m) below sea level.
More than 20 Olympic pools worth of water is pumped from the Severn Tunnel daily.
The consortium argues that keeping the tunnel operational for the next 100 years is unsustainable due to the high maintenance costs.
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They propose building a new crossing to enhance capacity on one of the busiest lines in .
“Achieving [improved journey times and additional services] with the current tunnel would require large investment and potentially cause even greater disruption than simply maintaining current performance,” they wrote in their proposal document.
“Although capacity and operations for the existing tunnel are being investigated, the provision of an additional rail crossing would enhance the capacity of the network.
“However, this would be a large-scale, nationally significant infrastructure project with a timescale beyond our three stages.
“Despite this, it is key to take a proactive approach and begin developing business cases for either enhancement of the existing crossing, provision of a new one, or both.”
Plans also included the construction of 30 new stations as well as the electrification of 286 miles of rail lines.
Although the total cost of the proposals could come to around £12 billion, the consortium believes the investment will bring in £17 billion to the region and the wider UK economy.