North Swindon MP Welcomes Rail Minister To Swindon

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson welcomed Rail Minister Paul Maynard to Swindon today to view the recent improvements to the station as well as the ongoing success of the TransWilts line.

Swindon station is part of the Access for All project, which aims to improve accessibility for disabled people. This includes disabled lifts to all platforms, disabled toilets and adequate disabled parking, which is improving as the number of blue badge spaces at the station is set to increase.

The TransWilts, which launched in 2013, is one of the fastest growing lines in the country and was formally designated as a community rail service by Mr Maynard last September.

The Minister travelled on a special GWR service from Swindon to Salisbury, stopping off at the site of the proposed new Wilton Parkway station on the way.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “It was great to welcome the Minister to Swindon station as he began his ride on the TransWilts train. As the former Minister for Disabled People the issue of accessibility is an incredibly important one for me and it is great to see that Swindon station have this an absolute priority.”

Rail Minister Paul Maynard MP said: “I was delighted to meet the fantastic team and see the great facilities at Swindon Station. It was also a pleasure to ride on the special TransWilts train today and see first-hand all the hard work which is going in to make this Community Rail Partnership successful.These railways are good for communities, increasing revenue, reducing costs, increasing community involvement and supporting social and economic development. Across the country there are about 3,200 rail volunteers who work 250,000 hours per year helping to improve stations and reduce vandalism.”