Havant MP Alan Mak has called for “quicker, longer and better trains” in a Parliamentary debate attended by a number of the region’s other MPs. Railways Minister Clare Perry MP responded to Mak’s appeal on behalf of the Government.
Speaking in Westminster Hall, Mak stressed the need for better rail services from Havant to London, and between Havant and the wider Solent region including Portsmouth. The Havant MP said dremand for local rail services is increasing due to economic growth in the Havant area attracting more workers and businesses, as well as growth in visitors to Hayling Island and Emsworth.
The rail franchise covering the Havant line is due to renewal in 2017 and Mak said this was an opportunity for the train companies to boost their investment into the area if they wanted to keep running trains in the region.
Mak said 19,000 passengers use mainline long distance services on the Havant to Waterloo line during the single high peak hour every weekday. This makes the route, operated by South West Trains, the busiest and most profitable rail service in the UK.
Mak said the Portsmouth to London line, which stops at Havant, needs to be the Government’s priority between 2019 and 2024 and looking further ahead to 2043 as well.
Alan Mak MP said: “I will continue lobbying the government and train companies because Havant needs more rail investment for all the right reasons. We have a growing population as families move in, a strong economy attracting new businesses, and rising visitor numbers, so we need quicker, longer and better trains”.
Mak added, “Many residents commute to Portsmouth and around the Solent region not just into Waterloo, so we need investment in both local and regional rail services. I will work with other local MPs to secure the upgrades local residents deserve”.
Rail Minister Claire Perry MP said, “Alan Mak highlighted extremely well the fact that rail service improvement is about not just London-based connectivity, but east-west connectivity. People are increasingly choosing to use rail for short journeys as well as long ones, and I think that it is incredibly important that that is recognised in future investment planning”