Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government by how much journey times between London Paddington and (1) Bristol, (2) Cardiff, and (3) Swansea, will be greater than expected due to the decision to defer electrification on parts of the route, the increased weight of new trains and the reduced power output of diesel motors.

Timetables whilst the Great Western is being modernised are under development as part of the industry’s timetable bidding process. We are investing in this route to deliver better services and new trains with thousands more seats. This is an ambitious and challenging undertaking, but real progress is being made. We are committed to improving services for passengers on the Great Western line and once complete journey times between London, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea are expected to reduce by around 15minutes.