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Crossrail Bill

Yes, Shenfield. Those people who travel from further out—Reading, Twyford, Maidenhead on the western region and probably further out on the other side—want to enjoy a much faster service than one that calls at all stations. There is also a conflict in that very expensive high-speed trains are being used to take commuters from places such as Reading and Maidenhead for journeys to London of less than 30 minutes. It makes much better sense to have Crossrail as a sort of mixed service, with metro stops within inner London, or as far out as Slough and further on, and to have semi-fast trains which will prove attractive to people travelling from Reading. I know that that matter was ventilated in the other place, but it is extremely important that the Government, by moving a Transport and Works Act procedure, give some impetus to starting Crossrail at Reading, possibly quite outside the Bill, and give attention to thinking about the services that would operate on the lines leading to Crossrail so that, as well as a metro service, there is a semi-fast service that would cater for people who make longer journeys. By so doing they would shield the high-speed services that carry passengers from further out and stop at Reading, for the most part, because many people from other parts of the country wish to get off there. I am not asking the Minister to accept any sort of amendment to the Bill, but I should like to hear about the Government’s intentions. There is obviously going to be some conflict between Transport for London, which is interested in slow metro services, and the wider railway, which is interested in something better.