Securing infrastructure fit for the 21st Century

The issue:

One of Alok’s top priorities as an MP has been to campaign to improve local transport infrastructure that will help boost Reading’s economy.

Reading Station

  • Reading Station has benefited from nearly £1 billion worth of government investment into Reading station to make it fit for purpose in the 21st century.

  • The new platforms and track layout will help improve capacity and reduce delays at what is one of the busiest stations in the country.

  • Alok welcomed Her Majesty the Queen to Reading in July 2014 to mark the official opening of the new station.

Crossrail

  • Alok lobbied ministers to investigate the economic case for extending Crossrail to Reading

  • The Government announced in March 2014 that it would extend Crossrail to Reading, meaning that by 2019, Reading commuters will benefit from an increased number of trains into Paddington station and for the first time, will have direct access to the City of London and Canary Wharf, without having to change trains.

Rail Access to Heathrow

  • Alok is supporting work by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership to provide direct access to Heathrow Airport from Reading Station for the first time, as part of the new Western Rail Access link.

  • Work is due to start on the project during 2017 and should be completed by the end of 2021.

Green Park Station

  • £6.4million of government funding will go towards to the building of Green Park station, as part of the government’s Local Growth Deal agreed with Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership in July 2014.

  • Alok played a key role in lobbying for this funding and made the case for the Green Park Station during a Parliamentary debate in May 2014.

Reading West Station

  • Alok demanded action be taken to improve lighting and safety at Reading West Station after a series of crimes were reported at the station.

  • Alok has lobbied for improved accessibility at Reading West station, including a new bridge with lifts and ramps to improve accessibility from the road.

Theale Station

  • Alok lobbied hard to win funding from the Department for Transport for the upgrade to Theale Station.

  • The station will see improvements to the car park, a new ticket office, new cycle parking, a refreshment area, a new CCTV system and new pedestrian entrance.

  • Alok has lobbied First Great Western and Network Rail to deliver this project quickly after delays as a result of the contract for works having to be re-drafted following Network Rail’s reclassification as a public sector body in September 2014 to ensure proper governance and to head off any implications regarding State Aid and Competition Law.

Tilehurst Station

  • Tilehurst Station is currently undergoing improvement works to install a new footbridge to improve accessibility.

Pangbourne Station

  • Pangbourne Station has benefited from more than £180,000 investment to improve parking facilities and refurbish the station toilet facilities.

Road Network

  • Alok welcomed a government commitment to widen the M4 between Reading and London, as part of the biggest programme of investment in roads since the 1970s. The Government announced that it would introduce four lane capacity to 31 miles of the M4 Motorway between Theale and the A312 at Heathrow Airport.

  • Alok supported the £3.5 million in funding announced in the Chancellor’s 2012 Autumn Statement to help alleviate congestion in Reading West constituency at two of the town’s most notorious pinch points, on the Bath Road and A33.

Next steps:

  • Alok will continue to lobby to bring investment to the infrastructure of Reading and to help maintain Reading’s status as a vibrant economic hub.

  • Alok will continue to campaign for better access for Reading’s cyclists across the town.

Alok says:

“Reading has benefited greatly from the government’s substantial investment in railways and roads, including a billion pound investment in Reading station, improvements to Pangbourne and Theale stations, as well as funding to relieve congestion on the A4 in Calcot and on the A33. The commitment to widen the M4 adds to a growing list of infrastructure projects which will secure Reading’s status as an economic powerhouse for decades to come.”

Securing infrastructure fit for the 21st Century: In the Press