A Connected Peninsula

 

Enhancing transport connectivity within the peninsula will make travel safer, more reliable, resilient and sustainable to and throughout the peninsula.

 

 

 

Our work is focused on developing safe, resilient, and reliable road and rail links throughout the peninsula, including better connections to ports and airports. We want to make sustainable travel options the preferred choice for private journeys. For freight transport, our work looks at creating reliable intermodal connections, enabling efficient movement of goods with predictable journey times. Additionally, we are seeking improvements to HGV parking and driver facilities across the network.

Freight

South West Freight Strategy 

Our Freight Strategy, jointly developed with Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body, has been shaped through engagement with the freight sector, wider business community, and local authority stakeholders.

By working together, we have been able to identify and prioritise solutions that will:

  • Improve freight efficiency and enable modal shift

  • Reduce journey times and congestion

  • Cut carbon emissions

  • Support economic growth across the South West 

Read the strategy

Implementation Phase

The strategy sets out 46 interventions across all modes of transport — including aviation, maritime, rail, and road. It also goes further by developing a set of cross-cutting interventions, focused on connecting stakeholders and sharing knowledge gained through the freight strategy.

Progress on delivering these interventions is reported annually and can be accessed below.

View the Reports

South West Freight Forum

The freight strategy depends on collaboration for its delivery and at the heart of the strategy is the South West Freight Forum. The forum now has over 150 stakeholders involved and over 20 speakers contributing. Together, we are driving sustainable and efficient freight solutions for the South West.

Strategic Road and Rail Improvements

We are working closely with local authorities, the Department for Transport, National Highways, and Network Rail to prioritise enhancements that will improve the safety and efficiency of strategic road and rail links to and through the peninsula.

This includes delivering Major Road Network projects, Large Local Major road schemes, and improvements to the peninsula’s two main rail lines.

To guide this work, we are developing a Strategic Implementation Plan, which will set out a prioritised programme of strategic road and rail schemes — creating a safer, better connected, and more resilient transport network for the peninsula.