TRANSPORT may not immediately come to mind as one of the most headline-grabbing issues at this election but it is a factor in all of our lives, every day.

In the first of our policy specials, we asked each of the 10 candidates vying for your vote to outline how they would approach the key transport challenges of the day.

Given Swindon’s position on the M4 corridor, our proximity by rail to the capital and the potential business boost we could expect to see as a result of any future expansion of Heathrow, national decisions on transport infrastructure could have a big impact on the town.

However, just as important for many voters, indeed perhaps more important, are the changes to local road and rail networks; the success of which will make the difference between getting from A to B or just getting stuck in daily jams.

An issue that has been raised by a number of the candidates is the importance of securing the funding required to push ahead with the Thamesdown Drive extension.

Despite positive indications at the start of the process, Swindon was unsuccessful in securing any money when the Department for Transport selected the major projects they were able to support in the coming years.

Whichever candidate is elected in 10 days’ time, voters will expect them to play a role in identifying a plan B and working with Swindon Borough Council and key funding bodies to make the project a reality.

Ensuring that the planned improvements to junction 16 proceed as planned will be crucial, not only to motorists, but also to residents who are waiting eagerly for the completion of the Wichelstowe development. The two are inextricably linked.

Away from the roads, the electrification of the Great Western Mainline is proceeding and when it is completed the journey from Swindon to London will be faster than ever before.

But what will that mean for the price of train tickets, and will Swindon train station get the redevelopment that has been promised to bring it up to standard?

Will the trains still carry the GWR logo or will renationalisation, an idea at the heart of more than one manifesto, be appealing to voters?

Our candidates are divided on the question and they want to win you over.

Of course it is not only trains that could be subject to renationalisation under some of the plans - buses are also part of the debate.

Thamesdown was one of the last remaining local authority bus firms until it was sold earlier this year - will voters want to see a reversal or has the company’s near financial collapse sounded alarm bells about the idea?

A key issue in any discussion on transport is air quality - the candidates would take different approaches.

What is the future for diesel vehicles owners and private hire drivers? Do the government’s proposals to clean up the air we breathe go far enough?

Get the answers to these questions and more as we hear from the candidates below:

NORTH SWINDON

Justin Tomlinson (Conservative)

"Our growing economy is enabling us to invest record amounts in our vital transport infrastructure.

"We have already begun the £7.5bn modernisation of our railway line through Swindon; the largest investment since the Victorian age. This will bring new trains and more services to commuters.

"For motorists we scrapped Labour's hated annual fuel duty hikes. We have secured £169m through the Swindon and Wiltshire LEP fund to improve our local roads including the M4 junction 15 and 16 upgrade.

" Across our local communities we have also expanded and upgraded our cycle network; and secured a £5m investment for our bus services."

MARK DEMPSEY (Labour)

"As a local candidate I want to get Swindon moving. The Tories in Swindon have failed to deliver the Northern Link Road and our town is becoming gridlocked.  

"Labour will invest in a modern, integrated transport system including £250bn in infrastructure over ten years and if elected I will work to deliver the key projects we need including the Northern Link Road. 

" Labour will deliver rail electrification connecting Swindon to Wales and the South West; and we will bring our railways back into public ownership, as franchises expire, providing real improvements for passengers by capping fares and introducing free wifi."

LIZ WEBSTER (Liberal Democrats)

"Air pollution is a killer. The Lib Dems are determined to live up to our environmental obligations and target the scandal of air pollution by promoting the use of green energy and extending the Ultra Low Emission Zones to at least 10 more towns and cities.

"The Lib Dems plan to decarbonise our energy system and support the manufacture of low-emission and electric vehicles and a diesel scrappage scheme, a plan for all private hire vehicles and buses in Swindon to run on ultra-low emissions or zero-emission fuels within five years and a ban on the sale of diesel cars by 2025."

ANDY BENTLEY (Green Party)

"The Green Party will work to increase public investment in the railways and buses and to make our streets and roads safer.

"Clean, safe, accessible public transport and more walking and cycling could make us all healthier and happier.  We need a public transport system that takes us where we need to go, affordably and reliably.

"We will return the railways to public ownership, and invest in regional rail links and the electrification of existing routes, especially in the South West and North of England, rather than wasting money on vanity projects like HS2.

"We will invest in affordable, reliable, and publicly run bus services and seek to increase bus services, especially in rural and other poorly served areas. We will aim to make local public transport free for young people, students and people with disabilities.

"We will create convenient networks of walking and cycling routes, and secure cycle parking and storage, so that everyone has the option to leave the car at home.

"We will tackle the impact of transport on air pollution, climate change and public health by cancelling airport expansions, ending airline fuel subsidies, and increasing incentives to take diesel vehicles off the roads."

STEVE HALDEN (UKIP)

"Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan used the Beeching Report 1963 to close half the railway stations in Britain and a third of the rail network lines.

"Privatising the railways has been a total disaster for the customers. When it was British Rail, fares were really cheap and now prices are outrageously high.

"UKIP would scrap HS2 and save £75bn. Electrifying the Great Western Railway cost £9bn with no benefit to the passengers.

"UKIP would defend the owners of diesel cars because they were originally encouraged to buy diesel but later hammered by the Government and the EU."

SOUTH SWINDON

ROBERT BUCKLAND (Conservative)

"I will continue working hard to secure the continued investment in our town’s road network, such as the Thamesdown Drive extension.

"My record so far:

"I have helped to secure £16.5m of improvements to M4 junctions 15 and 16, which will be delivered over the next few years

"I pushed for £357,000 for pothole and road repairs in the last two years

"I worked to secure funding for a new town centre bus station, which will be delivered soon

"I helped to secure £7bn for the modernisation and electrification of the Great Western Mainline and the redoubling of the Swindon to Kemble line."

SARAH CHURCH (Labour and Co-operative)

"Swindon’s geographical location makes it a perfect hub for business and investment. We are a growing town where residents and commuters need reliable, well-connected and affordable transport to get to work and to reach our restaurants, leisure facilities and parks.

"As your Labour and Co-operative candidate, I am committed to connecting communities through public transport links, working with the Borough Council to protect bus routes of critical community value, and to bring the buses back into profitable public ownership.

"I am committed to Labour’s pledge to reset the UK’s road safety vision and to ambitiously strive for zero deaths on our roads.

"Labour will deliver rail electrification for the Great Western Main Line and will consult on reopening branch lines.

"Labour will bring the railways back into public ownership as franchises expire, based upon the successful model of Directly Operated Railways on the East Coast Mainline.

"In public ownership we will cap fares, introduce free wifi across the network, ensure safe staffing levels and introduce legal duties to improve access for people with disabilities.

"Labour will prioritise development, manufacture and use of low emission vehicles, and we reaffirm the commitments in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy to encourage people out of their cars for better health and a cleaner environment."

STAN PAJAK (Liberal Democrats)

"Swindon’s success stems from our key transport link first with canals, then rail through the Great Western Railway and finally motorways.

"As an MP I would try and ensure Swindon is part of the proposed Oxford to Cambridge expressway by dualling the A420 to Oxford and a crucial element of the Oxford Cambridge rail link.

"Improving our town’s road network has to be a priority.

"Nationally we believe that high quality, accessible public transport is key with a rail system with a stronger focus on customers.

"Greener, cleaner transport as part of an Air Quality Plan and halting the decline in bus services matched by implementing cycling improvements to a Cycling City standard."

TALIS KIMBERLEY-FAIRBOURN (Green Party)

"Greens want accessible, affordable public transport, safe walking and cycling, and wider policies that keep services closer to where they’re wanted.

"We will urgently address the air quality scandal that causes forty thousand premature deaths in the UK annually.

"Greens want the railways back in public ownership, and re-regulated buses so that communities have real control of the public services they use.

"We all know we have to reduce fossil fuel use, but we need better choices if we’re to change our habits. Charging people more for doing what they must, without ensuring better choices are available, is unreasonable.

"Many of us drive, walk, and take public transport – this isn’t an issue to get tribal about. We all need breathable air and to travel safely and affordably.

"Rather than HS2, airport expansion and airline fuel subsidies, Greens want local transport systems that everyone can use regardless of disability, toddlers, or mobility issues. We must create alternatives to driving, that are affordable, efficient and safe. 

"The Government passed legislation stopping local councils from creating new bus services.

"Imagine instead, increasing local authorities’ funding,  allowing the provision of good quality public transport services, improving choices and creating local jobs."

MARTIN COSTELLO (UKIP)

"We shall scrap HS2 to save £50bn and redirect funding to where it is needed. This vanity project serves no purpose and will benefit only the minority/rich while ripping up our glorious countryside.

"UKIP will prevent diesel drivers from being penalised through higher taxes or emissions zone charging.

"We shall not allow speed cameras to be used as revenue-raisers for local authorities, exempt vehicles over 25 years old from Vehicle Excise Duty and freeze Air Passenger Duty that has risen rapidly since its introduction.

"UKIP will also stop mandatory fitment of the e-call vehicle tracking system on new cars.

"Rural bus services are vital for those living in the countryside who do not have the financial means or the ability to drive.

"UKIP will provide start-up grants to support community bus operators using smaller and more efficient buses where commercial operators have cut essential services."

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the issue of schools.

If you have questions that the candidates haven't been able to answer here, why not join us on June 5 for General Election Question Time.

The Swindon Advertiser has joined forces with the Wyvern Theatre to host a hustings event just a few days before the country goes to the polls.

Each of the candidates up for election will speak and take part in discussions on jobs, education, health, the economy, and Brexit.

Questions will be taken on the night, but you can also send your questions in advance by email to: questiontime@swindonadvertiser.co.uk between now and June 2.

Please mention either Swindon South or Swindon North in your email, depending on which constituency you are from.

The event will start at 7pm. Is free to attend but reserving a ticket from the Wyvern Theatre website is advised.

Visit swindontheatres.co.uk/Online/tickets-general-election-swindon-2017 to find out more.