NEW measures to combat anti-social behaviour at the railway station have been reported to Petersfield town councillors.
Town councillor Brian Keefe, who is also chairman of the Portsmouth to Waterloo Rail Users Group, told a full meeting of the council that he had long been concerned for the safety of rail users.
There had been several serious incidents on the Portsmouth to Waterloo line recently which had concerned Dr Keefe.
The Bordon rail-link bus has also suffered from vandalism, a back window was smashed and the handbrake removed in separate incidents.
Now South West Trains and British Transport Police have acted in a bid to make travelling safer, said Dr Keefe.
He reported that a mobile team of eight Ôtravel safeÕ officers trained by the British Transport Police would be operating on the line. They could be sent to likely trouble areas, where they would supplement rail police, said Dr Keefe.
ÒThis is a new and extremely good measure,Ó Dr Keefe told fellow town councillors.
He added that closed circuit television was being introduced at railway stations along the line and special constables were being recruited to the rail police.
New trains which were due to be introduced in 2004 would all have closed circuit television fitted, said Dr Keefe.
He told the meeting that the underpass at Petersfield station, which had recently been reopened after repair work to stop flooding, had been attacked by vandals.
ÒThey went in and caused severe damage,Ó said Dr Keefe.
ÒThey were not from Petersfield because they were coming out of the town and going north,Ó he added.
He said he had asked transport police to examine CCTV pictures in a bid to identify the vandals.
There was more bad news for Petersfield station when Dr Keefe announced that rising damp had been discovered across the front of the booking office. It also affected a waiting room. A portable cabin would be used as a booking office while repairs were carried out, he said.