Prime Minister visits infrastructure projects in Thames Valley
25 Apr 2014 12:55 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.