Kemble to Swindon Line to be Re-Doubled

Where the current line singles off, just south of Kemble station

Amidst all the budget waffling that occurred this week, there was one very good piece of news for my home county of Gloucestershire: namely, that the money has been found to re-double the stretch of line between Kemble (Gloucestershire) and Swindon (Wiltshire).

The work will see the doubling of a 12.5 mile stretch between Kemble and Swindon

First, a bit of history. Kemble used to be an important railway junction, with two branch lines going to Cirencester and Tetbury. However, these disappeared in the mid '60's, and the line between Kemble and Swindon was singled in 1968. The rest of the line would have been singled as well, but after realising a decent diversionary route was needed for trains running between Cardiff and Swindon, they left it at that.

Indeed, it's mainly because of Cardiff that the line is now being re-doubled: the electrification programme between London, Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and Oxford means that the Severn Tunnel will have to be shut for a long period of time. During the closure, all Cardiff trains would have to run via Kemble and Swindon, which means the whole route needs to be double-track in order to cope.

Stroud MP Neil Carmichael with First Great Western and Network Rail managers at Stroud Station

No-one's quite sure when the work will start (probably by next year), but it will definitely be finished by March 2014. This will hopefully see two trains per hour, with one between London and Cheltenham Spa, and the other a shuttle service from Swindon to Cheltenham. It should also see journey times significantly reduced as well, and with new bi-mode trains to be introduced (which can run on both electrified and non-electrified lines), it's welcome news for Gloucestershire railway users.

Moreton-in-Marsh station: a train to Oxford waits at the platform

There will also be improvements for commuters in North Gloucestershire as the redoubling of the Cotswold Line gathers pace. New platforms at three of the stations (Honeybourne, Ascott-Under-Wychwood and Charlbury) are being built, and the line is being doubled between Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham, as well as between Ascott-Under-Wychwood and Charlbury. Work should be complete by August 2011.

We'll have to see what other improvements will be made in the coming months - with only nine to speak of, Gloucestershire could do with some more stations - but this week's budget was definitely a step in the right direction.

The Evening Stanners