Heidi Alexander, the MP for Swindon South and the Transport Secretary, spent several days in Japan after an official visit to China, Swindon24 reported on Tuesday 7 July 2026. The report did not give the dates of the trip. Both countries are regarded as world leaders in transport.
In China
- She met Transport Minister Liu Wei.
- She toured Tongzhou Station in Beijing, described as Asia's largest integrated transport hub. "Imagine a station roughly the size of The O2," she wrote.
- She met the autonomous vehicle company DiDi and businesses working with British transport firms.
Swindon24 noted that China has built the world's largest high-speed rail network in just over two decades, with more than 48,000 kilometres in operation.
In Japan
- She met the country's transport minister.
- She visited Hitachi's global headquarters and Tokyo Metro's training centre, and tried a train simulator. "I may need some further training," she joked.
- She met Transreport, a British accessibility technology company whose passenger assistance software was being introduced internationally.
She described Japan as "a fantastic country, which builds integrated transport infrastructure at scale".
The link to rail reform at home
The government was creating Great British Railways, a single public body combining track and train services. Train operators were returning to public ownership as their contracts expired, and eight of the 14 operators expected to join were already publicly owned, Swindon24 reported.
Swindon24 pointed out that Swindon's identity is closely tied to the Great Western Railway.
Source: Swindon24.