LOCAL rail passengers are living in hope that a £29 million investment package by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) will help to improve SWT services on the Alton-to-Waterloo line.
While travellers are told there is Òno quick fixÓ, the money is expected to help South West Trains in its commitment to Òsolving the networkÕs capacity problemÓ which is said to be the ÒcornerstoneÓ to its bid for the new 20-year franchise.
Despite having to wait until at least June next year for the re-introduction of half-hourly off-peak services, local travellers can expect a rearrangement of rolling stock to provide extra seating during the rush-hour period.
The money comes as part of a Deed of Amendment, which has been signed by the SRA and Stagecoach Group plc, and which will help fund the introduction of the new multi-million pound Desiro fleet of trains already under production in Germany.
It will also allow vital development work on how best platforms can be lengthened and infrastructure improved to accommodate new and longer trains.
According to SWT, areas covered by the deed will include:
r Commissioning and introduction of the Desiro fleet, including driver training, leasing and depot modification. The new trains will replace old slamdoor stock.
r Introduction, from this autumn, of extra capacity on some rush-hour services, including those from Alton and Basingstoke.
r Further development work on the extension of platforms to accommodate longer trains and continued progress on proposed station improvements.
This, along with the reinstatement of double line working between Alton and Farnham, is felt by the Alton Line Users Association (ALUA) to be crucial to the improvement of services on the local line.
According to ALUA chairman Chris Campbell, platforms at Alton and Bentley need to be extended in order to cater for longer trains. When the new 458 Juniper is in use, downline passengers are forced to squash into four coaches for the last stretch of the journey from Farnham.
While hoping that this work will be carried out Òsooner rather than laterÓ, Mr Campbell has also welcomed news that the Deed of Amendment is to include an extension to the hours of operation for the Liphook-Bordon rail link bus to cover the duration of the timetable, including Sundays, and a major project to improve bus/rail integration at Winchester Station - which it is hoped will include the Alton to Winchester shuttle bus service.
ALUAÕs concerns are highlighted in the SWT statement which continued: ÒRunning around 1,700 trains a day over some of the most congested tracks in the country, capacity has always been the biggest challenge facing SWT. It has long been agreed that there is no Ôquick fixÕ to the overcrowding many commuters suffer on a daily basis and that the answer lies in longer trains and additional track capacity - both of which would require massive investment.
ÒHaving made solving the networkÕs capacity problem the cornerstone of its bid for a new 20-year franchise, Stagecoach is delighted that this Deed of Amendment has now been signed allowing essential development work to continue.Ó
Introduced as an interim measure to enable SWT to progress plans towards the signing of the franchise, which it is hoped will take place by the end of the year, Stagecoach chief executive Keith Cochrane has described the Deed of Amendment as Ògood newsÓ for rail passengers.
ÒIt means work on these vital projects can continue to progress while we continue negotiating the fine detail of our new long-term franchise. For passengers it means one step closer to those desperately needed extra seats.Ó
SRA chief operating officer Nick Newton added: ÒThe agreement if of real importance to travellers on the very busy SWT network. With the companyÕs continued commitment to getting 785 new carriages into service, ongoing planning for longer platforms, and introduction of more services and capacity, passengers can expect tangible improvements.
ÒMeanwhile, the SRA will continue detailed negotiations with Stagecoach Group leading towards a new long-term franchise.Ó