bobm, have you heard of any planning for a possible local train service that would stop in places such as Minety or perhaps Chalford in future?  Or alternatively, have you heard anything indicating that the double-tracking will have no effect on adding stations and local stops?  I often think back to the days when the Auto-train used to run between Chalford and Gloucester, with maybe 10 halts in-between.  A different Britain!  How I cherish memories of those days!

'Four Track, Now', ellendune, others:  Do you know of any timetable for doubling Didcot-to-Swindon to four tracks now that Swindon-to-Kemble is open, or at least adding a third track?  Surely Didcot-to-Swindon is the next bottleneck.  Maybe an extra track or pair of tracks should be added from Didcot all the way to Wootten Bassett, given the heavy traffic to Bristol and S Wales.
 

Glawster, you mentioned that you were working 'on the weekend in the summer of 1968' when the line was singled.  Probably took more than just one weekend to remove the second track and slew the remaining one, but probably didn't take much more than a few weeks.  It says it all about our modern times when it takes (including planning and preparatory work) more than a year and 45million pounds to relay the second track from Swindon to Kemble.  Same thoughts as I have on the costs for extending the Jubilee Line versus the costs (in 1900 pounds) and simplicity/functionality involved in building of the Central Line.  One might say that endless safety considerations and workers no longer working for peanuts makes up the difference, but I think there's more to it than that.  Just too much red tape and Government involvement in every aspect of our lives these days.

Ellendune, Glawster, I still remain in confusion as to 'what and where' controls a trains moving from Gloucester to London on the section of track between Gloucester and Didcot!  Surely control has to be at one location, not two.  Is it Swindon or Didcot?

Phil, thanks for your very informative post detailing the transfer in control from Swindon Panel to Thames Valley.  As I understand it, the Swindon Panel is now disconnected and all control is from Didcot.  Do you know if the Thames Valley Center will be allowing visitors to watch the train controllers at work (perhaps by appointment)?

Thanks, Phile.  Based on control over all in/out rail traffic at Swindon having to be at one location and based on Swindon-Kemble double track being operated from Didcot from the end of this month it must follow that Swindon Panel will no longer be in use from that time.  Some earlier posts indicated that transfer of control to Didcot was behind schedule and wouldn't take place until late in 2014, but I guess that's not the case.

Has anyone heard anything further on how control of the new Swindon-Kemble double track is to be handled until the new Didcot control centre fully takes over from the Swindon panel?  I seem to remember someone mentioning that Didcot would have control of the double track from its opening later this month, even though the Swindon panel would still be in use until later this year.

Two trains passing each other.  Does this mean that the ends of the new track have now been connected to the existing track at both ends, with the switches at both ends (including the one at the north end of Kemble Tunnel) no longer being in use?

bob, does this mean that Swindon will still be in control of the other lines into Swindon but Didcot will be in control of the Kemble segment?  If so, how would control be co-ordinated?  Doesn't it require the same person(s) in one location being in control of all traffic in/out of Swindon?  Just wondering.

Ellendune, apparently Network Rail or one of its contractors is setting up a temporary control system at Swindon that will run alongside the Swindon Control Panel so that the Swindon-Kemble double track will come into full operation at the end of August, i.e. no need to wait for regional control to be moved from Swindon to Didcot.  The contractors need to have all of the double track in place by 13 July to avoid heavy overrun penalties.  By that date all of the new track should be in place apart from the connections to be made at both ends when the existing pair of switches are removed.  Their removal and connection of the double track will take place in the same closure period (end of August) as double-track control starts. 

bobm, where did you read about the delay in closing Swindon Panel?  I can't find any references to it on Network Rail sites.  Was it something that someone at NR^» (Network Rail - home page) mentioned to you and isn't yet announced?

I'm afraid so, Ellendune.  The two projects have always been linked, as many posters here have pointed out.  Easter 2015 does now look possible for both.  There have been so many delays on Swindon-Kemble that this is no surprise. 

Does anyone know if the speed limit on the Swindon-Kemble section will change once the redoubling is finished?  A while ago one of the coaches on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) trains had screens on the back of seats and software that allowed you to track the speed of the train.  On the Swindon-Kemble section I noticed the speed hitting 120mph.  Just wondering if any existing speed limit on the single track will decrease once trains are running on two tracks.

A few recent photos of the redoubling here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63590-swindon-kemble-re-doubling/

Thanks for the update, Quedgeley.

Seems as if there is still a great deal to be done before completion.  What with the extensive damage to the rail network by recent storms, such as on the south coast, I wonder if Swindon-Kemble will be completed by the end of the summer.  Perhaps the end of 2014 is more realistic.