Theresa May has welcomed confirmation that Network Rail will be assessing the feasibility of providing semi-fast Crossrail services, potentially representing another major boost for local commuters. The news follows the announcement earlier this year that Crossrail would be extended to Twyford and Reading from Maidenhead.
Crossrail is due to come into operation for local commuters in 2019 and will provide a direct through-service to central London and beyond. Theresa has long supported the project and successfully campaigned for it to be extended to Twyford and Reading. She has also called on Network Rail to consider how semi-fast Crossrail services could be provided alongside existing FGW services, thereby cutting journey times and providing greater choice for commuters.
The Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Deal, an agreement signed by the Government and the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) last week, stated that Network Rail will assess the feasibility of semi-fast Crossrail services on the Great Western Main Line between Reading and London as part of the Western Route Study, within the rail planning process.
Commenting, Theresa said: “Although Crossrail is a welcome addition to local transport infrastructure, the benefits to commuters from Maidenhead and Twyford would be even greater if semi-fast services could be provided alongside existing FGW services. I welcome the announcement that Network Rail will be studying how this can happen. This is another boost for our local transport infrastructure, following the announcement that Crossrail will be extended to Twyford and Reading.”
