HOPES the final phase of the project to protect the railway line between Dawlish and Teignmouth will be completed soon have been thrown into doubt.

The Labour government has appeared to say the last part of the decade-long South West Rail Resilience Programme is not currently funded despite the previous Conservative government promising the cash was available.

But the cost of the final phase is said to cost ‘substantially more’ than the first four phases combined.

The Department for Transport in a response to the Dawlish Gazette says the scheme is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

MP Martin Wrigley has expressed his ‘disappointment’ having previously warned the government not to ‘take its eye off’ the project.

He said: ‘This isn’t good news for rail users of Devon.

‘It doesn’t appear to back up the assurances I got from the former Secretary of State a couple of weeks ago.

‘The stabilisation of the cliffs is vital to the railway.

‘It was the cliff fall that closed the line for months rather than fixed far more quickly.

‘Dawlish and Devon had promises from David Cameron that cost was no object, and from Rishi Sunak that projects would be funded from the cancellation of HS2.

‘Now we see another disappointment that threatens the railway for the south west.’

It has been claimed a letter from Rail Minister Led Hendy says the fifth and final phase of the programme is not guaranteed and will be subject to there spending review.

This last phase of work was intended to stabilise the cliffs on the 1.8km stretch between Parson's Tunnel and Teignmouth.

So far, £165m has been spent on the 10-year scheme which has seen the completion of a new sea wall and improvements to Dawlish station.

In October last year, the Conservatives promised the funding had been set aside for the work to be completed.

The cash was allegedly from the Network North fund, a £36 billion pot created with funds reallocated from the cancellation of a high speed rail line between the West Midlands and Manchester.

But it is said Lord Hendy has said the work is expected to cost substantially more than the other four phases combined and is currently not funded. However, it will be considered as part of the multi-year Spending Review.

Lord Henry is said to be conducting a thorough review of the previous government's transport plans to ensure the transport infrastructure portfolio drives economic growth and delivers value for money for taxpayers.

Decisions about individual projects, including the final phase of the SWRRP, will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.

In Prime Minister's Questions on December, 11 Sir Keir Starmer said the previous government 'made lots and lots of promises, but never set aside the money to pay for them’.

MPs are due to debate the issue in Westminster.

The line was breached at Dawlish in February 2014 which left the tracks dangling in mid air. The line was reopened within weeks and since then Network Rail has built a new sea defence system.