asked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has received from British Railways concerning the closure or alteration of the usage of Stroud station and the introduction of single-line working between Swindon and Gloucester; and whether he will make a statement.

The Railways Board has not put forward any proposals concerning Stroud station. I have approved the resignalling of the Swindon-Kemble section of the Swindon-Gloucester line, as part of a major scheme for the installation of multi-aspect signalling in the Swindon area; the Board's proposals for a similar scheme in the Gloucester area, which includes the line from Kemble to Gloucester, have just been put to me. I understand that, if the Gloucester scheme is approved, the new signalling when installed would permit the introduction of single-line working between Swindon and Standish Junction, but this simplification would not he possible before 1968 at the earliest.