A NEW rail link serving Petersfield and Waterlooville was wheeled out by South West Trains. With an average of three trains per hour from Petersfield to London and Portsmouth, Petersfield provides the perfect destination for Waterlooville residents to link into South West Trains' mainline services. Ian Johnston, South West Trains' customer service director, said: "The Waterlooville area is one of the largest parts of Hampshire without a railway station so this new service will act as a perfect link between Waterlooville and Petersfield. "We are committed to providing the best service we can for our passengers and the introduction of this bus service is a major improvement in this area." The Waterlooville to Petersfield rail link started on December 10, and from January passengers will be able to buy train tickets on the bus, allowing them to buy tickets direct from Waterlooville to London Waterloo and Portsmouth. The hourly service will observe all bus stops en route from Waterlooville precinct to the A3 dual- carriageway via the Cowplain shops and Horndean's Good Intent pub, and then operate non-stop to Petersfield railway station. The service will operate from Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays. Hilary Ayer, East Hampshire District Council's youth and community portfolio holder, said: "Many East Hampshire residents are employed outside the district and depend on good transport links to get to work. "We have been pushing for the integration of bus and rail for some time and it's great that South West Trains has responded so positively." Havant mayor Vic Pierce Jones said: "I am delighted that we will now have this superb rail-link service connecting the wards of Waterlooville and Cowplain and giving a direct link to the railway which is timed to coincide with the fast trains to London."
