MP backs 'once-in-a-generation' plan for new rail service
Plans to run passenger trains from Marchwood to Southampton and London have been unveiled (Image: Newsquest)
A Hampshire MP is backing "once-in-a-generation" plans to launch a new rail service linking the New Forest with Southampton and London.
Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, is urging the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to approve an application to reopen part of the Totton to Hythe branch line.
The line, which once went as far south as Fawley, has been freight-only since the 1960s.
Campaigners have spent years calling for passenger services on the route to be restored to ease pressure on the A326 and other roads.
Plans to run passenger trains from Marchwood station to Southampton and London have been unveiled (Image: Newsquest)
ADVERTISEMENT
In 2024 the government put the brakes on plans to reopen the line, saying the scheme would fail to deliver value for money.
But the proposal has since been replaced by a privately-funded alternative.
Grand Union Trains aims to reopen Marchwood station and run services to Southampton and London under its Alliance Rail banner. Longer-term plans include a park-and-ride facility near the previous Hardley Halt station.
READ MORE: New attempt to run passenger trains on the former Totton to Hythe rail route
Ms Kaur has written to ORR to voice her support for the scheme.
Her letter says: "After the withdrawal of funding for the Restoring Your Railway Fund in Autumn 2024, this proposal is much welcome news in our community.
"Alliance Rail's privately funded plan is particularly compelling.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It does not rely on public money and the company itself is prepared to invest and underwrite all the risks in return for a 7-year franchise that will deliver an hourly service linking Marchwood to Totton and Southampton, ten times a day, with five of the services traveling to Hook and Waterloo.
"I urge you to accept this exciting application.
"In the 2022 Network Rail survey, 84 per cent of people backed proposals to reinstate the line for passenger services and with good reason.
"This introduction of this historic line could be transformative, providing a reliable and sustainable alternative for car use."
Special excursions are currently the only passenger trains that visit Marchwood station (Image: Supplied)
Writing on social media, the MP added: "Really happy to support the application to reintroduce passenger services on the Marchwood branch railway line, connecting Marchwood, Totton and Southampton.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We know the congestion along Millbrook Road and Marchwood Bypass is nightmarish at rush-hour, polluting our area and causing delays for drivers.
"This is a once in a generation chance to improve things - igniting growth, opportunity and sustainability along the Waterside and in Southampton. Let's do it!"
Hampshire county councillor David Harrison represents Marchwood and Totton South.
He said: "Very happy to get the full support of Satvir Kaur for the project to open up the Waterside line to Marchwood (and hopefully beyond that at a later stage)."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Families to receive compensation from Norwegian state after oil rig tragedy
FAMILIES who lost loved ones in an oil rig disaster 45 years ago will finally be compensated by the Norwegian state. The Alexander Kielland platform capsized in the North Sea, off the coast of Norway, on March 27, 1980, killing 123 men, including five men from Cleator Moor. A compensation motion was passed by 53 votes to 51 in the Norwegian Parliament today (June 5). The Kielland Network – a group of survivors and bereaved family members – have been calling for a renewed investigation into the disaster. Members of the campaign group were among those to attend The Storting in Oslo to hear the debate. The Alexander Kielland memorial in Cleator Moor Square (Image: Newsquest) Colin Lamb, of Plumbland, near Aspatria, lost his dad, Colin, 44, in the disaster. He said he was 'over the moon' to find out the motion had been passed after receiving WhatsApp messages from members of the Kielland Network who were in attendance. He said: 'It's the best news I've ever had. It's taken 45 years for this to happen. It was a very close majority. 'It's my dad and he's gone but I feel it's what we should have had. 45 years is a long time. It's just great news.' Colin Lamb, 44, died in the Alexander Kielland disaster (Image: Family handout) Alan Hunter, of Distington who also lost his dad, Keith in the disaster, said: 'I'm still soaking it all in. It's been a long time coming. It's a result for all of our dads. 'This should have been sorted out years ago. We shouldn't have to go through all this now at our age. 'We still want to see what the Norwegian have to say. Any money they throw at us, it doesn't matter. We want to know what they are going to come with. Are we going to get an apology?' Keith Hunter, 34, was killed in The Alexander Kielland disaster (Image: Family handout)Michael Eldon, who represents Cleator Moor West on Cumberland Council, said: 'This is a big step. This is just the start of admitting that what happened could have been avoided.' A report published earlier this year by The University of Stavanger found a 'number of serious omissions' in the Norwegian authorities' handling of the disaster. The study concluded that the authorities prioritised protecting the reputation of the oil industry over fully exploring the causes of the disaster.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Richard Branson faces fight to challenge Eurostar
Sir Richard Branson faces a fight to fulfil his dream of operating trains through the Channel Tunnel after the rail regulator concluded there was room for just one new entrant. The ruling means Sir Richard must convince the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) that he is better placed to provide competition to Eurostar than three rival bidders. While the ORR found that the only UK depot capable of servicing Channel Tunnel trains has room to handle more, it made clear that vital maintenance capacity is extremely limited. The regulator said: 'Taken together with Eurostar and applicants' initial plans, the assessment suggests there is room for at most one new operator, or for Eurostar to grow.' The chosen bidder will win the right to compete with Eurostar in the lucrative Paris market and potentially launch new services to cities such as Bordeaux, Marseille, Frankfurt and Zurich. The ruling is poised to pitch Sir Richard's Virgin Trains against Gemini Trains, chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley, which has said it would provide services from London's St Pancras International to Paris and Brussels with a fleet of 10 trains. Also in the running is Trenitalia, the main operating arm of Italy's state railway company FS Italian. It is expected to partner with a fourth bidder, Evolyn, which is backed by the Spanish Cosmen family. Virgin Trains said it would order a dozen trains worth around £500m, representing half of the required launch funding. These would most likely be from Alstom or Siemens, which together provide the Eurostar fleet. Sir Richard would take a major equity stake, supported by a partner or partners. While inactive on the UK rail network since 2019, Virgin Trains was credited with bringing airline-style flair to the West Coast route between London and Scotland following its privatisation in the late 1990s. The current West Coast contract is run by Trenitalia with FirstGroup. It was ranked as Britain's worst train service for punctuality and the second worst for cancellations in the first quarter, according to the most recent ORR figures. While Eurostar itself said it would also stake a claim to the spare capacity at Temple Mills depot in east London, the ORR is expected to favour an end to its 31-year monopoly over passenger express services between Britain and the Continent. In a letter to bidders, the regulator asked them to present final submissions 'at pace' to allow it to make a decision on awarding the routes by the end of October. However, it cautioned that applicants must submit detailed plans on the allocation of depot capacity and said that they were free to work together on alternative solutions for providing maintenance. Eurostar, which connects London with Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and the French Alps, said it was still of the view that Temple Mills was too full to accommodate a new entrant, with the one and a half servicing lanes available sufficient for five trains at the most. The company, owned by French state railway SCNF, said the only workable solution may be to build a second UK depot and that there a number of suitable sites available, including one at Stratford, close to Temple Mills. While construction costs would most likely exceed £100m, a spokesman said it would be open to collaborating with a potential rival to share the cost. Eurostar operates a fleet of around 20 trains from St Pancras but plans to place an order for up to 50 more as early as this year, to be split between its Channel Tunnel routes and a Paris-to-Brussels service. The spokesman said: 'It's clear a strategic, joined-up approach is needed to unlock the full potential of international rail for passengers and the UK economy.' Virgin Group welcomed the ORR's update and said it was 'ready to take up the challenge.' A spokesman said: 'Today's report is great news for passengers, bringing the group even closer to unlocking competition on the cross-Channel route.' Gemini didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Branson faces fight to challenge Eurostar
Sir Richard Branson faces a fight to fulfil his dream of operating trains through the Channel Tunnel after the rail regulator concluded there was room for just one new ruling means that Sir Richard must convince the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) that he is better placed to provide competition to Eurostar than three rival bidders. While the ORR found that the only UK depot capable of servicing Channel Tunnel trains has room to handle more, it made clear that vital maintenance capacity is extremely regulator said: 'Taken together with Eurostar and applicants' initial plans, the assessment suggests there is room for at most one new operator, or for Eurostar to grow.'The chosen bidder will win the right to compete with Eurostar in the lucrative Paris market and potentially launch new services to cities such as Bordeaux, Marseille, Frankfurt and ruling is poised to pitch Sir Richard's Virgin Trains against Gemini Trains, chaired by Labour peer Lord Berkeley, which has said it would provide services from London's St Pancras International to Paris and Brussels with a fleet of 10 in the running is Trenitalia, the main operating arm of Italy's state railway company FS Italian, which is expected to partner with a fourth bidder, Evolyn, backed by the Spanish Cosmen family, the leading investor in Mobico, formerly National Trains has said it would order a dozen trains worth around £500m, most likely from Alstom or Siemens, which together provided the Eurostar fleet, representing half of a required £1bn in launch funding. Sir Richard would take a major equity stake, supported by a partner or partners. While inactive on the UK rail network since 2019, Virgin Trains was credited with bringing airline-style flair to the West Coast route between London and Scotland following its privatisation in the late current West Coast contract is run by Trenitalia with FirstGroup and ranked as Britain's worst train service for punctuality and the second worst for cancellations in the first quarter, according to the most recent ORR Eurostar itself said it will also stake a claim to the spare capacity at Temple Mills depot in east London, the ORR is expected to favour an end to its 31-year monopoly over passenger express services between Britain and the a letter to bidders, the regulator asked them to present final submissions 'at pace' in order to allow it to make a decision on awarding the routes by the end of October. However, it cautioned that applicants must submit detailed plans on the allocation of depot capacity and said that they were free to work together on alternative solutions for providing which connects London with Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and the French Alps, said it is still of the view that Temple Mills is too full to accommodate a new entrant, with the one and a half servicing lanes available sufficient for five trains at company, owned by French state railway SCNF, said the only workable solution may be to build a second UK depot and that there a number of suitable sites available, including one at Stratford, close to Temple construction costs would most likely exceed £100m, a spokesman said it would be open to collaborating with a potential rival to share the cost. Eurostar operates a fleet of around 20 trains from St Pancras but plans to place an order for up to 50 more as early as this year, to be split between its Channel Tunnel routes and a Paris-to-Brussels spokesman said: 'It's clear a strategic, joined-up approach is needed to unlock the full potential of international rail for passengers and the UK economy.'
