THE Malvern Gazette got a mention in the House of Commons this week.

It came during an adjournment debate on Wednesday evening secured by West Worcestershire MP Sir Michael Spicer to discuss the future of rail services in Worcestershire.

During his speech, Sir Michael talked about the public meeting organised by the Malvern Gazette & Ledbury Reporter last week at Malvern Girls' College.

The meeting, part of the Gazette's campaign for better rail services between Worces-ter and Hereford, was attended by 150 people.

Sir Michael called for action on one of the issues raised at that meeting, dualling the stretch of track between Ledbury and Hereford and at Colwall Tunnel.

In his speech, Sir Michael also tried to dispel what he said was the myth that the failings of the railways were the result of privatisation.

Before privatisation, he said, all the talk had been of closing lines but in the 10 years since passenger journeys between Birmingham and Hereford had risen by 25 per cent and on the Cotswold line by 51 per cent. Now the problem was not a lack of customers but overcrowding.

Sir Michael said he was concerned the Government's response seemed to be to blame private operators and to initiate a new process of centralisation by setting up the Strategic Rail Authority, the intervention of which was set to lead to less through trains to London.

"What Worcestershire rail services need it not the imposition of the centralised might of the Strategic Rail Authority but the transparency and accountability to passengers which goes with a decentralised, locally accountable, well-motivated system," he said.

Transport minister Dr Kim Howells said there would be no return to nationalised railways.

"Privatisation has levered out money which was not previously available to the railways," he said.

Dr Howells did not hold out much hope of dualling lines, which he said was very expensive. A seven mile stretch in the West Country was costing £14 billion, he said.

He accepted there would be fewer through trains to London, although the proposed time-table was not fixed yet, but said journey times would not be affected because the new Adelante trains running from Oxford were quicker.