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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Great Western electrification: Branch line work 'deferred' | Great Western electrification: Branch line work 'deferred' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Part of a £2.8bn project to electrify the Great Western route has been "deferred". | |
| The plan was to fully electrify the route from Cardiff to London by 2018 and the scheme had already been delayed. | |
| It was estimated to cost £874m in 2013, but spending spiralled out of control, causing some MPs to call it "staggering and unacceptable". | |
| Lines affected include major routes to Bristol, Oxford, and Berkshire. | Lines affected include major routes to Bristol, Oxford, and Berkshire. |
| 'Customers disappointed' | |
| The main project to electrify the rail from Cardiff to London will go-ahead, but the Department for Transport (DfT) has not confirmed when this work will be finished. | |
| Rail minister Paul Maynard said deferring the electrification of some routes would free up between £146m and £165m, which would be used to "deliver additional benefits to passengers". | |
| Which routes have been deferred? | |
| Network Rail - which is implementing the project - and the Department for Transport, have been criticised by MPs for not being able to provide a schedule of when work on the line will be finished. | |
| Network Rail's western route managing director Mark Langman said: "The Great Western main line is undergoing a huge rail investment programme to enable new and upgraded trains with more seats and faster, greener journeys. | |
| "The changes announced today will deliver those benefits to the greatest number of passengers in the shortest possible time." | |
| New electric trains would have to be modified if they were to be used on the four lines that are not being electrified. | |
| A spokesperson for Great Western Railway (GWR), which runs the rail franchise, said: "Customers will be disappointed at these further delays to parts of the electrification programme. | |
| "However, we are determined our customers should not wait a day longer than absolutely necessary to see the benefits they're expecting from what will be the biggest fleet upgrade in a generation." | |
| Bristol West MP Thangham Debbonaire said: "I'm horrified the government is being so short-sighted. | |
| "They've shown a complete lack of ambition with major infrastructure and that's the exact opposite of what we need to do. | |
| "In an approaching post-Brexit world, what we need to do is make ourselves as competitive as possible and that means infrastructure and good transport." |