COTSWOLDS MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has joined commuters in criticising the time it will take rail managers to upgrade services from the redoubled Swindon to Kemble rail line.


Despite the official opening of the line by Princess Anne on Friday, more services will not be considered until 2017, even though the infrastructure exists after a £17 million investment. Trains run on average hourly between Kemble and London.


David Bellamy, Cirencester management consultancy, Stonepoint & Partners, CEO, said he often drives to Swindon to start his regular London commute.


“If I could get a train from Kemble every half hour that would be fantastic, but it isn’t good enough,” he said. “The first off peak train arrives in London at 11.15am, quite a late arrival.”


Designer Gary Birks, who commutes to London daily, said the services were "poor" value for his £8,500 season ticket.


“It is a poor service. You would think we would get better services or at least more trains,” he “If you do not finish work bang on time and I miss my train I have to wait an hour just to get to Kemble, but you can get to Swindon every ten minutes," he added.


MP Mr Clifton-Brown said: “It was expected by myself, my constituents and everyone that uses this line that in return for the huge investment into the infrastructure we would receive improved and increased services.


"If I travel from Swindon I wait 20 minutes maximum for a train.”
He is concerned at plans to divert traffic through the Kemble to Swindon line to support other Great Western routes.

He said it would be an intolerable situation if these diversions meant passengers experienced delays similar to those when the redoubling work was being carried out.


Mr Clifton-Brown said he was also unhappy at the lack of car parking spaces at the station and he has raised the issue to First Great Western and Network Rail who says seem to have been transferring responsibility from one to the other for at least two years.


But James Davis, a spokesman for First Great Western, hit back at the criticisms and said that the reason that services on the line are not being improved is because the government is currently unable to provide more trains.


“We have a limited number of trains and rail stock and there is not an option to run more services.”


He said there would be no delays when the route is used to accommodate diversionary traffic.


And he added that First Great Western is looking into providing more car parking at the station and would be making an announcement about this soon.