Prime Minister visits infrastructure projects in Thames Valley

25 Apr 2014 12:34 PM

David Cameron visited rail and road projects as part of a week focused on infrastructure. 

The Prime Minister was in the Thames Valley region yesterday (24 April) to highlight the government’s commitment to upgrading Britain’s rail infrastructure as part of our long-term economic plan.

On a visit to one of the Great Western upgrade projects in Berkshire, the Prime Minister saw for himself the latest works to remove a bottleneck near Reading station. The Reading Elevated Railway is a part of the £850 million improvements to the Reading network, which is one of the busiest in the country.

As well as improving train journeys for hundreds of thousands of hardworking people, it will also help local businesses by stimulating economic growth.

The 2 kilometre long elevated railway project, which has a workforce of 400 people, is running a year ahead of schedule and under budget. It will help make journeys quicker and more comfortable for hundreds of thousands of hardworking people and businesses as well as increasing capacity to meet the expected rise in passenger numbers in the future.

The ongoing work to upgrade a section of the Great Western represents just one part of a £7 billion programme of investment in the line which is the highest of any rail route in the UK.

The Prime Minister also visited a road repair site in the region to highlight government support to local authorities in repairing potholed and damaged roads, helping to improve journeys for road users. In the Budget 2014, the government announced a £200 million Pothole Fund for 2014 to 2015.