george matthews wrote:The Dawlish by-pass is often proposed but it never happens. The towns beyond it are not really big enough to justify a new route in present conditions.
There are many towns beyond Dawlish which although small to medium sized lack basic infrastructure, from rail and road to internet. There are also two cities; Plymouth (250k pop) and Truro. Plymouth in particular has a huge strategic importance and Cornwall still has important mineral reserves. The Torbay conurbation has a population of around 200k.
There is no motorway standard road beyond Exeter. There is no airport at Plymouth.
So the question isn't really being able to "justify" a new route, but to explain why nothing has been done to restore an alternative Exeter/Plymouth route.
It's madness that rail travel east from Plymouth is dependent on there not being a high tidal surge at Dawlish.