I have dug out my notepad and pen as my weekly article returns after the purdah period of the local elections. I had ten very enjoyable years as a Councillor for the Abbey Meads ward prior to being elected as an MP. I would like to wish all the new Councillors the very best for the opportunity they have been given. It was a good night for the Conservatives as we increased our majority on Swindon Borough Council, almost unheard for a Party that is also in Government. This is a real credit to the positive campaign of my colleagues.
We are in the midst of record investment in our railway infrastructure over the next five years. The Government wants all you to help shape how our future services should operate, putting users at the heart of these significant improvements.
For our Great Western Main Line this investment is crucial to increasing capacity, reliability and speed of service. This is vital as the service has been put under considerable strain by ageing rolling stock and a 50% increase in passenger numbers in the last 10 years alone. Crucially this investment will also reduce the upwards pressure on train fares as we will take advantage of the increased capacity and modern, efficient rolling stock.
Over the next five years the investment includes:
£7.8bn is being spent on electrification of our services, including cutting between 10-15 minutes off the Swindon to London Paddington journey. The redoubling of the Swindon – Kemble line, driving up frequency and speed for commuters between Swindon and Cheltenham.The major improvements and expansions to stations including the £1bn upgrade of Reading station, helping increase capacity and removing bottlenecks.The delivery of new state of the art carriages, transforming our ageing rolling stock.
This investment is vital not just to commuters or day trippers, but it also helps drive local economic growth, strengthening Swindon's position as a place for businesses to relocate and invest, providing the next generation of jobs. Swindon is also directly benefitting from the considerable new engineering roles offered by Network Rail to carry out this work, a real boost for our local economy.
The consultation will run to June 26 2014 and can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/news/have-your-say-on-the-great-western-rail-franchise
Finally congratulations to Swindon based Nationwide Building Society and all their staff who recorded best ever results yesterday. I have been proud to work with them in Parliament, hosting a number of events and meetings as Nationwide have quickly adapted to the changing financial markets by not only becoming the most trusted financial organisation, but leading the way on new innovative products. This is further good news for our local economy as they have become one of the most, if not the most significant employer in Swindon.
