BOSSES at Great Western Railway, which has its headquarters in Swindon, have expressed relief that the Transport Secretary does not want to break up its franchise.

Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, told members of the influential House of Commons Transport Select Committee an early insight into his thinking recently, when he told them that he would not be splitting the franchise into smaller units.

In response to the news a Great Western Railway spokesman said: “We welcome the early clarity on the future shape of the Great Western Railway franchise that Chris Grayling’s statement has given communities across the Great Western franchise.

“Much of what we have been able to deliver for the customers in the region has been delivered by working together with communities across the network, with a mix of operational flexibility, long-term investment and opportunities for growth that relies on a train operator of our size to deliver.

“We look forward to seeing the results of the rest of the consultation.”

Mr Grayling has been under severe criticism recently for problems on train services in other parts of the country, notably London and in the north of England.

Northern Rail was thrown into chaos when it had to cut 9,000 services after a botched timetable change, although 75 per cent of those services have been restored.