The Secretary of State for Transport, Teresa Villiers, has announced that the Government has reached an agreement with South West Trains to provide an additional 60 carriages on services to and from London Waterloo and bring Waterloo Station’s International Terminal back into use.
The added capacity will have a knock-on effect on SWT’s internal rolling stock resulting in increased capacity on other lines. This will mean that, from 2014, trains between Portsmouth Harbour and Waterloo will expand from five cars to ten for certain services. Trains between Waterloo and Alton will increase from eight cars to twelve for certain services.
The funding was agreed as part of the Government’s High Level Output Specification programme which is aimed at relieving pressure on the busiest commuter routes.
Commenting on the announcement, Damian Hinds said:
"Many people in East Hampshire rely on the rail network for their daily commute and are certainly feeling the pain of paying higher fares. These extra carriages are a small signal of money is making its way to the frontline. While this increase in capacity is not going to fix every problem, it is a step in the right direction. Having a commuter rail network that can cope with increasing demand is a key part of our national infrastructure, as well as vital for local people. So far, there is limited detail on exactly which services will benefit, and I will be monitoring progress."