MP says Kemble to Swindon railway upgrade is in doubt

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood has said the Kemble to Swindon railway line upgrade is in doubt, after he met with transport minister Theresa Villiers.

A feasibility study by Network Rail has shown converting the line into a dual track would cost about £52m.

The Liberal Democrat MP said there were "clearly threats" to the project because of proposed cuts to the government's transport budget.

The previous government had committed £45m to the project.

Mr Horwood said the rail plan was "clearly a candidate for cuts".

He said: "We need to demonstrate lots of support for this project to make sure it still goes ahead."
 
Mr Horwood was joined by other Gloucestershire MPs in meeting the minister.

He said he hoped politicians from other areas affected by the railway line would join their fight.

"The point we were making is this is a very important project for Gloucestershire, for local business, for green growth.

"This is the kind of investment in the public transport system we really want to see if this government is to live up to its claims to be the greenest government ever."

He said the minister told him she did not yet know the scale of the cuts in her department, but that he left the meeting feeling that there was a "50/50" chance of the project going ahead.

"We aren't going to know for a while," he said.

Doubling the line from single-track to a two-way service would remove the bottleneck on the Cheltenham to London route

Vital rail link work must continue

A vital project to redouble a section of rail track in Gloucestershire must not fall by the wayside despite severe spending cuts, MPs told ministers yesterday.

Martin Horwood and Geoffrey Clifton-Brown met with rail minister Teresa Villiers to continue to press the case for the redoubling of the Swindon-Kemble line.

Original estimates put the cost of the scheme at £45 million but, following an upwards revision to more than £50 million, funding has looked in doubt.

Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham Mr Horwood said: "Our argument is it would be good for the economic recovery, good for the environment, and good for the people of Gloucestershire.

"It's become more difficult because of the dire state of the public finances. It's going to be a tricky one, but we will keep on fighting."

The project is seen as critical to the county's economy and a gateway to the region, as the current single track limits the reliability and frequency of trains on the line and limits the number of rail services on the route.

Its future hangs in the balance as the Government seeks to cut costs and like most Whitehall departments, the Department for Transport has been instructed to come up with proposals for budget cuts over the next four years.

They will then form the basis of the negotiations between the Treasury and the departments leading to the spending review in the autumn.

While the Minister could not give any firm commitments on Swindon-Kemble ahead of the review, MPs described the meeting as positive, and had "left the door open" on the scheme.

Ms Villiers heard the scheme would not only ensure a regular service and put Gloucestershire within two hours from London, but could also serve as an important diversionary route, particularly during work on the Great Western Main Line, and when the Severn Tunnel is closed.

The feasibility study had been carried out and resources could be transferred from similar improvement work on the north Cotswolds line.

But Ms Villiers cast doubt on whether the £45 million earmarked by the previous Labour government for the scheme was actually available.

Tory MP for the Cotswolds Mr Clifton-Brown said the campaign continued. He said: "We didn't have the door shut in our face. It's not a definite no. On the other hand cuts in departmental spending will have to be taken into account, and they won't be fully known until the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn.

"She and the department well and truly recognise the merits of the case here. What we have to keep doing is keep up the pressure."

Tory MP for Tewkesbury Laurence Robertson said: "The sooner this work is done the better. It will help generate more wealth in Cheltenham and Gloucester."

Conservative MP for Gloucester Richard Graham said the project "ticks so many boxes". But he added: "I think we have got to be very realistic on this. If we couldn't do that project in the boom years it's going to be very hard for a government trying to balance the books to go ahead with this."