Written question asked by Boris Johnson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 March 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 March 2005. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 March 2005 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce concerning First Great Western Link's new timetable for the Thames Valley area; what assessment he has made of the impact First Great Western Link's new timetable for the Thames Valley area has had on local businesses; what plans he has to (a) reduce overcrowding and (b) improve punctuality on the Henley-Twyford-Paddington line. (Further information on 08.03.2005 at 431 c1630W)

Answer: Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received from the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce concerning First Great Western Link's new timetable for the Thames Valley area; [220365] (2) what assessment he has made of the impact First Great Western Link's new timetable for the Thames Valley area has had on local businesses; [220366] (3) what plans he has to (a) reduce overcrowding and (b) improve punctuality on the Henley-Twyford- Paddington line. [220367] Mr. McNulty: No representations have been received from the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce. Timetable changes on services to and from London Paddington were consulted on by the Strategic Rail Authority in early 2004. The majority of stakeholders recognised the benefits of the overall package of measures, although there was no specific assessment of the impact of the changes on local businesses. On 31 January First Great Western Link (FGWL) enhanced the 0727 Twyford-London Paddington service by increasing it from a five-carriage train to a 10-carriage Adelante train to reduce crowding. FGWL have also recently seen a slight improvement in overall punctuality. Both the Strategic Rail Authority and FGWL are continuing to monitor the performance of the timetable.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 431 c1630W;431 c1626W; 220365;220366;220367
Session: 2004-05
Subjects: Business Railways Overcrowding Standards Timetables Thames Valley Henley-on-Thames
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk