PRESS RELEASE: MP begs PM for help as footbridge project hits the buffers!

South East Cornwall’s Conservative MP made a desperate plea for help in today's Prime Minister’s Question Time after the long-promised footbridge at Lostwithiel Railway Station was delayed indefinitely.

Network Rail originally quoted £250,000 - £400,000 for the project almost seven years ago and local Liberal Democrat Councillor Colin Martin secured a £250,000 contribution from Cornwall Council. Further investment in signal upgrades from the Liberal Democrat controlled Council led to far more frequent train services; good news for rail users but bad news for pedestrians. When the Council pledged £250,000 for the bridge, Network Rail committed to pay the balance and build the bridge before the introduction of the new timetable in 2018.

But when the Conservatives took control of Cornwall Council in 2021, the project was derailed as a decision was taken to pursue a more expensive design. With every passing year, the construction schedule has slipped and the costs have mounted. A further timetable change with even more train services means that the level crossing is now closed for up to eighteen minutes per hour at peak times.

In 2022, Network Rail announced that a final price of £1.8 million had been agreed and a contract had been signed to install the bridge in “spring 2023”. Residents were invited to an open day to see the design and choose their preferred colour scheme.

But in 2023, Network Rail announced that the installation had been delayed again until “the end of the year”. Then in December, Network Rail revealed that “unfortunately the project is currently paused because the proposed bridge design from our contractor has not passed safety regulations”. Today Conservative MP Sheryll Murray asked the Prime Minister “We have no completion date. Can he help?”

The Prime Minister replied "I am told that Network Rail is currently working on a funding solution so they can take forward this project in the next financial year"

Cllr Martin says the Prime Minister’s response shows that the Government has totally lost control of Network Rail: “Translating the answer into plain English, effectively the PM said the money that's already spent has left us with an unusable design. Work cannot begin on a new design until yet more money is found, so no work at all will take place before April”. Cllr Martin, who will be standing against Ms Murray at the next General Election says this reflects the Conservative Government's approach to spending on everything from minor projects to nuclear power stations and HS2: “We had a perfectly adequate low-cost plan to refurbish a second-hand bridge, but when someone suggested an ‘innovative new design’, the Conservatives were tempted by the shiny alternative that cost a lot more and ended up taking years longer to deliver. So despite paying record high taxes, we still don't have the basic services and facilities we need.”