This has been a fascinating couple of hours. We have managed to keep the debate on track and, as I told the Backbench Business Committee we would, to build up a head of steam behind these issues, and hon. Members will be pleased that the debate did not hit the buffers, as some suggested it might.
Leaving aside the puns, I think this has been a good debate. It was encouraging to hear that the studies would go ahead, as a key part of identifying exactly
what needs to be done on our railway to secure it for the future. It is right that we heard the commitment that Dawlish and the Great Western main line would continue to be at the heart of the community in the peninsula. I know that the line into south Wales and Swansea is at the heart of that area and its economy, too, and I hope that people will support the motion without the need for a Division. It reinforces the importance of the network. This is not just about a transport system to get people from A to B; it is about the heart of a region that could deliver so much more with the investment that we hope will come.
Question put and agreed to.
Resolved,
That this House believes that the routes of the Great Western railway are not just a transport system, but the heart of the regions they serve; and calls on the Government to ensure that plans for further electrification and improved resilience of the Great Western railway routes are progressed urgently.