Calls for rail investment to prevent motorway hell

Wednesday, 14 January 2009 12:01 AM

By Laura Miller

The government has been accused of failing to respond to demands from the public for a "better alternative" to the motorway.

The claim was made by John Penrose, Conservative MP for Weston-super-Mare where no moves have been made to improve the local rail network despite above-inflation hikes in rail fares and plans to build 12,000 extra homes in a new government regional strategy.

"The government ought to do more to increase the size and frequency of our local trains, so people can see they're getting value for money and that there's a decent alternative to taking the car on the M5 into Bristol each day," Mr Penrose told politics.co.uk.

He has written to rail minister Lord Adonis to demand that the government provide 44 extra train carriages, which First Great Western Trains (FGW) have requested to meet the demands of capacity and future rail growth in the South West.

He fears that without commitment the government could, "not only push more commuters back onto already overcrowded roads such as J21 of the M5, but passengers are being forced to pay for a service that hasn't had any noticeable improvements".

The MP's move will be matched by politicians from all over the region following a recent meeting (Wednesday 10th December) between South West MPs, the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and members of the South West Regional Assembly.

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• public services
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• rail
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• transport