Railway bridge is ‘only realistic solution’ to Thatcham delays says …

Newbury MP Laura Farris has said that a bridge at Thatcham’s level crossing is the only realistic solution to the town’s traffic problems.

She endorsed the construction of a bridge over the railway line to solve delays that many motorists face when passing Thatcham Train Station.

Laura Farris MP with the Rail Minister and other MPs of the Western Rail Link to Heathrow APPG, picture: Mark Edwards

Mrs Farris recently raised the issue at the House of Commons in a Business Questions session.

She asked leader of the House Penny Mordaunt whether she would ask the transport secretary Mark Harper to support such an endeavour.

She asked if time could be made for a debate to discuss infrastructure in the south east where she could then set out the issue in more detail.

Mrs Farris said that, despite residents asking for the construction, nothing had yet “got off the ground”.

Calls for a bridge over the level crossing have been going unheard for decades.

In 2015, Network Rail and West Berkshire Council told Newburytoday that a bridge would cost in excess of £20m and would need to be funded by central Government or by a developer.

Since then, a planning application has come forward, from The Colthrop Village Consortium for 950 homes south of the railway line and Kennet and Avon Canal, including a railway bridge.

The developer has been pushing these plans to be included in the West Berkshire Local Plan for housing in the district.

In 2018, West Berkshire Council said it was “exploring the possibility of a bridge” as a part of its transport plan and in 2021 Network Rail said it supported the 950-home plan if it included the bridge.

Mrs Farris said: “The delays at the level crossing in Thatcham have a serious impact on those who regularly use that road and despite many efforts over the years, no workable resolution has ever been reached with GWR.

“The only realistic solution is a bridge and the vital thing is that the right location is found for this.

“I have spoken to my predecessor Richard Benyon who has explained where he thinks the proposal went wrong in the past and am now making the case to Ministers because I think it is an issue of fundamental importance to residents of Thatcham.”

The Conservative MP has also supported a cross-party campaign for a new rail link between Reading and Heathrow, which she says will bring improved local connectivity.

She met with Rail Minister Huw Merriman within her capacity as co-chir of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Western Rail Link to Heathrow with Tan Dhesi MP for Slough.

She said she has no doubt that the project will be fantastic for West Berkshire.