MPs in Gloucestershire say improved rail links between the county and London have received support from the Government.

If the work goes ahead it will see £42m being spent on the new rail line. Trains from Gloucestershire currently travel along a single stretch of track spanning 12 miles between Kemble and Swindon.

If approved, the new and improved line could be opened in two years’ time.

Martin Horwood, Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, who was among a group of MPs who recently met the transport minister, said: “The first step is quite a major engineering study which will several million pounds, but we hope the government will make a considerable contribution to get that rolling.”

Last year campaigners, including the group Railfuture Severnside, fought long and hard for the Government to back the restoration of the popular train line only for the Government’s Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) to leave it out of its five-year investment plans.

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Government gives the go-ahead for a feasibility study into Network Rail's plans to re-double the Great Western Line between Kemble and Swindon

Stroud News & Journal: 26th January 2009
By David Wiles

RAIL passengers are back on track for vastly improved services to and from Stroud after the Government came out in support of planned work on the Great Western Line.

Proposals to re-double the track between Keble and Swindon, which would increase the hourly capacity of services in each direction from two to four, was denied funding by the industry regulator in November.

Officials claimed the project by Network Rail did not provide value for money or meet Government criteria.

But on Thursday the Government gave the go-ahead for a multi-million pound engineering feasibility study after a meeting with a cross-party group of Gloucestershire MPs.

Stroud MP David Drew said he was ‘delighted’ with the news.

"There’s still a long way to go but we’re on the right track at last for significantly improved services between Stroud and London," he said.

"This is vital project for the county and demonstrates how effective cross-party working can be when we are all committed to the same goal.

"The next stage is getting the feasibility study done."

Mr Drew organised the meeting with Transport Minister Lord Adonis after the Office of Rail Regulation decided not to fund the work.

He said the minister gave his clearest indication of strong Government backing, declaring he was ‘strongly supportive of the project’.

Mr Drew and his fellow MPs are working with local authorities, the South West Regional Development Agency, Network Rail and First Great Western to get the study done.

A recent petition by Gloucestershire County Council in support of the project received 2,000 signatures from the public.

British Rail reduced the 12-mile track from Swindon to Standish Junction to a single line in the late 1960s to save costs.

The work would see another line reinstated on the stretch between Kemble and Swindon.