Sir (South Swindon)
(Con):...The net zero commitment has been exemplified by the
electrification project that has transformed the Great
Western Railway in our region and seen Swindon play
a key role not only in the construction of that new electrified
railway but in training—through the training centre that we
have—to ensure that electrification was a success, and it is a
success, with rail journeys to London now being reduced by an
average of five to 10 minutes...
...Swindon’s key position on the Great
Western Railway is self-explanatory; we are an hour
from London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Southampton. We have the M4
corridor, and the A34 is nearby. We have the A419 and A417
corridor —soon to be further improved by Government investment.
All those make our connectivity in Swindon second to none...
...The fourth criterion is about railway heritage and links to
the network. Where do I begin? We have the outstanding STEAM
museum—the Museum of the Great Western Railway.
It is a shrine to Isambard Kingdom Brunel and, most importantly,
the great locomotives of the past and the history of the railways
in Swindon. Some supporters, in particular the Alfred Williams
Heritage Society, have described the railways as being as
important to Swindon as, for example, shipbuilding was to
Belfast. They were the reason the small market town of Swindon
grew in the 19th century to become the major centre that it is
now. Without the railways, Swindon would be a very different
place. It would have a completely different quality. I believe it
would have been diminished, because the railways made Swindon the
powerhouse that it is today. We are all proud of that connection
and continuing link...
...The online survey launched by Swindon Borough Council in March
has received nearly 3,000 responses. Just under 95% of those
respondents have shown their support for the bid, and there have
been some excellent comments of support. One reads:
“My grandparents and great-grandparents worked on the railway.
There is a historic passion that has been passed down through the
generations”.
Another said:
“Swindon is a dynamic, forward-thinking place with a rich railway
heritage”.
One respondent said:
“Swindon is the home of the Great
Western Railway. It was Brunel’s choice. If it was
good enough for him, it is good enough…plain and simple.”
Another respondent wrote that Swindon is:
“The Railway Town! Without the railway, there would be no
Swindon.”
Finally, one person wrote:
“What better place to be situated than in the town that was once
home to one of the largest railway engineering complexes in the
world.”
It employs tens of thousands of people creating the completed
article: locomotive, right through to carriage and beyond.
I do not stand here today in dreamy nostalgia but am hard-headed
and clear-eyed about the future. Inevitably, Brunel’s name will
come up many times, but as I have said, it was no accident that
the greatest engineer and innovator of his age chose Swindon to
be the home, heart and hub of the Great
Western Railway 180 years ago. He was not wrong
then and this bid is not wrong now. Swindon is the railways,
past, present and future, and that future must, I strongly
submit, include the headquarters of Great British Railways.
The Minister of State, Department for Transport ():...As my right hon. and
learned Friend the Member for South Swindon has set out, Swindon
has a proud rail heritage. When Great
Western Railway transformed a greenfield site into
one of the largest railway engineering complexes in the world in
the 1840s, Swindon’s railway heritage was solidified. Swindon
became one of the most important manufacturing centres for the
railways through the famous Swindon works, which we heard about
this afternoon. Like many other historical railway sites, the
influence of the works has not been lost, with it becoming the
home of STEAM, the museum of the Great
Western Railway, in 2000. From the earliest days of
the railways to the modern day, Swindon has played and will
continue to play an important role and, no doubt, continue to
have an impact on rail innovation...
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