Transport Secretary Hears Reading Station Case |
Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander MP, today held a face to face meeting with the Reading Station Partnership Board to discuss their funding bid for the Reading Station upgrade. The meeting was organised by Reading West MP Martin Salter.
Douglas Alexander received a PowerPoint presentation on the Reading Station scheme prior to a final announcement on funding next July. Reading’s Lead Councillor for Transport, John Howarth said: “The Secretary of State congratulated us on putting forward a clear and powerful case to increase capacity and improve facilities at Reading Station. "Whilst no Government Minister can prejudge the bids process it was highly significant that the Secretary of State found time to hold a face-to-face meeting with the Partnership Board.” The Minister received a copy of the document “Reading Station – The Case For Investment” prepared by the Partnership Board which is led by Reading Borough Council and which comprises representatives from the Government Office for the South-East, Network Rail, the South East England Development Agency, SERA, and the Department for Transport. Speaking after the meeting, Douglas Alexander MP said; “I’m very grateful to Martin Salter for bringing the Reading Station Partnership Board to meet with me this afternoon. They made a powerful case for investment which I will reflect upon carefully in the months ahead. "As a Reading MP who commutes daily to London it was clear to me that Martin understands the problems facing commuters in the region and has seriously considered how they can be addressed.” Mr Salter added: “Apart from Birmingham, Reading is the busiest station outside London, providing direct train services to more than 360 towns and cities across Britain. "More than 20 million passengers use the station interchange each year, but it does not have enough platforms or track capacity to accommodate the frequency of services, especially at peak times. "Reading station is a cause of major gridlock on the great Western network and I am confident that Douglas Alexander appreciates how important it is to remove this major bottleneck and deliver a 21st century station for Reading and the surrounding region.” |
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