WHAT drivel has been given to the residents of Swindon about why Greenbridge has to be closed for a lengthy period.

Do they really believe that we cannot see beyond what is the endplay of both Railtrack and Balfour Beatty, the named firm who will no doubt carry out most of the work involved?

It’s actually about money, not the money it’s going to cost Swindonians but the vast amounts that Balfour Beatty are going to get out of this job.

Do they in all honesty think we believe them when they say they cannot lower the track due to signalling and points?

Surely there is signalling and points close to some of the tunnels that exist on this line. What are they going to do? Carve out the roofs of all those tunnels.

The job is probably being done on day rate, not a fixed sum for the job and if it’s day rate they can get away with making oodles of money. Isambard Kingdom Brunel must be turning in his grave.

It strikes me as sheer incompetence on the part of the engineers involved. Mind you I do use the term engineers very loosely. The plans for electrification were drawn up years and years ago, but nobody would bite the bullet and get it underway.

At long last we have a government who are prepared to go the extra mile and get it done only to find themselves being ripped off by the contractor.

We need to get some of the old time navvies to do the job. When the line was built they didn’t have all this fancy machinery to help them, it was a pick and shovel and a few steam cranes. If we still had that it would be done in no time, and cheaper!

DAVID COLLINS Blake Crescent, Swindon