GORDON Brown today promised us a railway fit for the 21st century as he announced a £1.1bn electrification scheme which will transform the service between London and Swansea.

The Prime Minister, travelling by train from London Paddington to Cardiff, announced the scheme today, which will also see £100m being spent on electrifying lines between Liverpool and Manchester.

Mr Brown said: "This is the future. It is green, it is faster and it's more reliable. This is about making the railways fit for the 21st century."

Only about one third of the rail network is electrified at the moment, with the Great Western route - which includes the Swindon area - the last of the major routes to be still predominantly using diesel trains. Electrification will shorten the London to Swansea journey time - currently just over three hours - by about 20 minutes.

The scheme will include the lines to Oxford and to Newbury in Berkshire and will also make possible the direct replacement of the ageing InterCity 125 fleet by electric Super Express trains.

Travelling with Mr Brown today was Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, who said: "There will be some disruptions while the work is going on but Network Rail plan to keep disruption to a minimum, with much of the work being done overnight."

Mark Hopwood, managing director of First Great Western, said: "We are really delighted with this news. It's going to transform our route and provide cleaner and more environmentally friendly travel."

What do you think of the scheme? Are you worried it will force up rail fares? Have your say below...