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Multi million pound investment to improve rail services
COMMUTERS in Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield and Denham will see their journey times to London dramatically cut after a huge multi-million pound investment to their rail service.
The improvements come as part of a £250m investment from Chiltern Railways, who run train services in the area.
The plans will also see rail users having easier access to Oxford, when a new line will be built from London to the city, the first new rail link from the capital to a major British city since 1910.
The scheme was unveiled last week by Chiltern Railways at a special conference in London, and will see rail users in this area seeing travelling times to London falling by more than 20 per cent.
Christina Hughes, 45, who travels from Gerrards Cross to London every day for work, said: "I think this is great news. It is nice to see something being done to encourage people to use public transport.
"As someone who uses this line almost every day, I'm obviously really pleased to see times being cut. It'll make day easier and will no doubt be the same for a lot of other people.
"The easier access to Oxford is also a big bonus, and I'm sure that it will be well used. It's very good news for rail users in this area."
The project will be delivered in stages, with the main line journey time improvements being delivered from 2011.
The new line to Oxford is expected to open by 2013, subject to Transport and Works Act approval.
More than 50 miles of track will be upgraded to 100mph, with new track built to enable the Oxford connection, linking existing lines at Bicester.
Adrian Shooter, chairman of Chiltern Railways, said: "This is the biggest passenger rail project for several generations not to call on the taxpayer for support.
"This deal demonstrates that real improvements to rail services can be paid for without public subsidy by attracting people out of their cars and onto trains."
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