This week’s Letter from Westminster comes from Newbury MP Richard Benyon. He writes:

I have written before about the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) and the good news is that it looks as if this small but vital addition to our rail network will actually happen. The less good news is that by current estimates it might take until 2027 to be up and running.

At the end of June, myself and Tan Dhesi MP, my co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the WRLtH, met with the Minister responsible and pressed the case for moving more swiftly. We were able to stress that this is a key national strategic priority for the Government regardless of whether or not Heathrow expansion goes ahead. We got his assurance that the Department was fully aware of the strong benefits that it would deliver and that he would sit down with officials and look at the possibility of speeding up delivery.

As far as business goes, this project is a no-brainer. It has almost unanimous support from Councils, MPs, the Local Enterprise Partnerships and Chambers of Commerce. It seems to have strong public support as well, with the online consultation last year attracting more than 10,000 visitors over the six-week period and with over 70% of those who responded supporting the proposals.

For residents of Reading and West Berkshire, this short 6.5 km stretch of track, most of it passing underground, will reduce journey times to the airport from 68 minutes to 26 minutes from Reading, and from 52 minutes to just 6 minutes from Slough. The plan is to link the new route from the main western line between Langley and Iver, passing under the line through a cutting, then entering a 5 km tunnel and merging with existing rail lines underground at Heathrow Terminal 5. Passengers from all points west (and the Midlands) will have a quick and accessible alternative to driving and also be able to travel by train without having to go via London Paddington. Whenever it is finally built, it will relieve the increasing build-up of traffic on our motorways, reduce emissions, speed up journey times and, according to those who calculate these things, will deliver around £800 million in additional economic activity.

No wonder it has cross-party support. Tan and I will keep the pressure on.