Doubling of rail track considered

Proposals to double the single railway track between Swindon and Kemble in Gloucestershire are being considered.

Network Rail said it would improve services as well as provide additional capacity for diverted trains.

Doubling the track is also expected to help ease delays when problems occur on the line.

Work has only recently finished on shoring up a slope next to the track where a landslide caused a week of commuting chaos earlier this year.

Andrew Griffiths, regional manager from First Great Western trains, welcomes the proposal.

"At the moment, it's rather like traffic lights, you have to wait for one lot to go before the lights change to let the other lot go," he said

"The trains very much have to run on time, or delays can happen. Having two tracks means trains to Swindon can run without being affected by trains going to Swindon."