Neil Carmichael puts a spotlight on transport infrastructure, noting the need for Swindon to Stroud Re-Doubling
In renewing our transport infrastructure, we will be helping our economy to compete as well as providing more environmentally friendly ways to travel
NEIL CARMICHAEL, Parliamentary Candidate for Stroud, believes that our transport infrastructure must be updated in order to cope with increasing demands for reliability and efficiency. Traffic jams are time consuming, damaging to the environment and hamper economic activity.
Neil Carmichael commented, “A serious long-term strategy for renewing our transport infrastructure is called for. It is high time that we recognised that congestion, delays and outmoded systems are causing environmental damage, increasing costs for business and restrictions for social mobility.
“The need to re-double the Swindon to Stroud line is a classic example but not, of course, the only one. Linking the Valleys and Vale to London Paddington and other local destinations is of critical importance to business and social life but the current single track is an obvious bottleneck.
“The re-doubling is a matter for the Office for the Rail Regulator through the “Periodic Review 2008: draft determinations” which defines funding allocations for 2009-2014. Unfortunately, the re-doubling is not a priority but I believe it should be.”
Neil added, “This particular issue is linked to other infrastructure issues, including rail capacity - the number of trains allowed on the track - and linkages with stations. Sometimes, the trains are quite literally stuffed to capacity or, occasionally, seriously delayed. We need to think carefully about how we can improve the efficiency of all public transport systems.”
