OFFICE OF RAIL REGULATOR REPORT AND RE-DOUBLING OF THE SWINDON TO KEMBLE LINE

That this House is dismayed that the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) has ignored the many representations to include the re-doubling of the Swindon to Kemble line within its planned £8.5 billion of rail enhancements over the next five years and beyond; is concerned that, contrary to commitments made, Network Rail failed to make a further case for its inclusion within the planned expenditure; is further concerned that this decision means that the major settlements of Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud continue to be accessed from London by a single line for a major part of its length; and believes that this decision threatens the planned re-signalling of this important line and that the ORR and Government should now reconsider their decision to replace the more expensive North Cotswolds option with the strategically vital Swindon to Kemble re-doubling.