THE GROWING DEMAND FOR RAIL TRAVEL
| Published: 11th May 2007 13:54 |
Now is the time to create our railway's future, says Minister
Growing demand for rail travel in the West of England will be matched with further investment and careful planning, Transport Minister Tom Harris will promise during a visit to Bristol today.
Mr Harris will introduce the Department for Transport's newly-published assessment of how the region's rail network could grow over the next 20 years at a meeting with the South West Regional Assembly.
He is also due to open a new platform at Bristol Parkway station which removes a bottleneck on the line and will reduce delays for passengers travelling to London, Wales, Birmingham and the South West. The new platform is part of a £750 million investment in the region's infrastructure by Network Rail.
Mr Harris said: "It is clear that the next 20 years will see a rise in the number of rail passengers on both inter-city routes and on commuter services in the region. So the West needs not only continued investment in stations, trains and track to accommodate that growth but, just as important, a strategy on where that spending will be most effective.
"Our Regional Planning Assessment is out now and this summer we'll publish our long-term national strategy for rail as well as our spending plans for 2009-2014. We have already committed to provide 1,000 new carriages across the country, to be used where they are most needed.
"I'm coming to Bristol today to explain what we are doing but also to listen to what people here think the region will need in the future. One thing we'll certainly agree on is that passengers want a safe, reliable and efficient railway."
Mr Harris also highlighted a grant of £36,500 to fund an innovative safer cycling project in Bristol which the Department for Transport will formally announce later today.
Notes
1. The South-West Regional Planning Assessment sets out the short, medium and long-term priorities for rail in an area that stretches from Gloucester to Penzance and from Bristol to Bournemouth. The full document is available on the Department's web site at http://www.dft.gov.uk
2. The new platform 4 at Bristol Parkway has been built with £3 million from Network Rail. Train operator First Great Western has contributed £100,000 towards a new waiting room and customer help desk.
3. The Department for Transport will publish its long-term rail strategy and the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) in the summer. HLOS will set out the Government's railway spending plans for the period 2009-2014.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
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