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FGW faces passengers’ questions over possible cuts to direct services





The ‘meet the manager’ session was organised by Newbury MP Richard Benyon in response to concerns raised by passengers on a number of rail issues, electrification beyond Newbury being the chief one.
Mr Benyon said: “It was useful to talk with local rail passengers and I want constituents to know that I will always take up their concerns with rail operators and will fight for a good service to our area.”
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people have now signed an online petition created by Hungerford Town Council over fears that direct services will be cut once electrification from London to Newbury has been completed.
Alana Wilson, who composed and published the petition on the Government’s E-petition website, said: “We need to get the message out to the public, not just to our Hungerford residents, but to all between Bedwyn and London Paddington.”
The petition reads: “We the undersigned petition the Department for Transport to retain all the current direct services between Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury to Reading and London Paddington.”
Earlier in the week, Mr Benyon met with rail engineers Arup to discuss proposals for extending electrification further down the line.
He said afterwards: “I had an excellent meeting with Arup, which is putting together a report for the DfT on the economic viability of extending electrification past Newbury.
“It was attended by MPs Claire Perry (Devizes), Andrew Murrison (Wiltshire South West) and Duncan Hames (Chippenham) as well as a variety of passenger groups and local councils.”
He added: “I’m pushing hard to get a positive outcome on this report, which will be complete by the end of April. I will continue lobbying ministers to ensure that services to Kintbury, Hungerford and beyond are maintained following electrification.”



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