Reopening the route via Okehampton would be disasterous for South Devon according to Totnes MP, Sarah Wollaston.
Mrs Wollaston said: “I don’t think there should be an idea that you can build resilience for our London links by building a relief line running north of Dartmoor I believe that would be building in disaster for the future of South Devon should there be another breach of the line at Dawlish.
“Because all you would see is a sense that there is no urgency for repairing the line at Dawlish and that would cut us off here in South Devon.”