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Crossrail Bill [Instruction No. 2]

The last time I joined the hon. Member for Reading, East was when I was suing him, so I am happy to repeat the conversation that he and I had on the train last night. We regularly commute back to Reading and regularly witness the nonsense of the case that Crossrail would not, on the existing four-track system, impede the high-speed service. How many times does that service from the west country have to run on the slow line, the same line that Crossrail would use? In a rather unkind way, I agree with the hon. Gentleman that if Crossrail is to come not just to Reading but to Maidenhead, there will have to be six-tracking, which is why the Secretary of State is absolutely right to be concerned about additional costs. Yes, there must be no negative impact on the existing freight network, and Crossrail could have an impact on that unless there is six-tracking to Reading, and possibly beyond. We also need the re-signalling already in Network Rail’s programme, although we do not know when it will occur. And we need—this applies only to Reading, not Maidenhead—the multi-million pound, long-overdue redevelopment of Reading station. Reading’s case must be considered, but it is not a simple one and it will have an impact on almost every other terminus in the western corridor.