Damian has made his own submission as part of the South Western Rail Franchise Consultation. Full copy below.
"Following the publication of the Stakeholder Consultation on the South Western Rail Franchise, I am writing to highlight areas of concern for residents and businesses across East Hampshire, including Alton, Petersfield, Liphook, Liss and Bentley, and other towns and villages in the constituency.
The concerns relate specifically to the future provision of rail services on the Alton and Portsmouth lines - and as both lines pass through several constituency areas, these concerns will need to be reviewed together with the feedback you receive from neighbouring MPs and their constituents.
I have reviewed the submission made by the Alton Line User’s Association, East Hampshire District Council and the Hampshire APPG as well as comments made directly to me by constituents and would summarise the primary concerns as follows:
Capacity
Overcrowding at peak travel times remains a concern, as does the use of 3+2 carriage formats (Desiro class 450 unit), particularly given the length of commute into Waterloo from Alton and Petersfield. There is a clear customer preference for the 2+2 format (Desiro class 444 unit), with higher frequency and longer trains to compensate for the extra load capacity of 3+2.
Double track between Farnham and Alton
By restoring the double track between these two stations, the capacity and speed of service would be greatly improved, enabling gaps and delays in the current timetables to be removed and also providing capacity for other rail users such as maintenance trains.
I also understand that any proposed Alton to Guildford service would require this capacity to be in place.
Future Impact on Demand
Significant development will take place across East Hampshire over the next 10 years, with the regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon delivering 3,350 new homes, as well as an additional 5,500 jobs as a result of new retail and commercial developments, including the recent successful bid by the Enterprise M3 LEP for a new Enterprize Zone in the town.
This is in addition to extra homes in Alton and elsewhere in the area and it is therefore critical for the franchise Invitation To Tender (ITT) to take adequate account of this growth.
Rail link bus to Bordon
The major new town development underway at Whitehill & Bordon is being planned to enable sustainable transport trips, including both cycle and footpaths, and providing good rail connections will be an important part of delivering this strategy.
Establishing a rail link bus service between Whitehill & Bordon and one of the main lines would provide access while minimising extra road traffic or increasing pressure on the existing parking capacity at those stations. Also important will be an increase in frequency of service at both Liphook and Liss.
Train Service Specification
Later trains on both lines would be useful for passengers visiting London during the evenings. The last through train to Alton leaves Waterloo at 23:23, and at 23:45 for the Portsmouth Main Line to Liphook, Liss and Petersfield. The same is true for late departures from Portsmouth, with the last train currently leaving there at 23.19.
Earlier trains from Alton on Sundays would be advantageous; the first one leaves Alton at 8.15 arriving Waterloo at 09:39, as well as more half hour services.
As a significant part of East Hampshire is part of the South Downs National Park and many of the stations are ‘gateways’ into the park, increasing frequency and capacity at the weekends will be an important way to support growth in tourism. The current policy regarding cycles on trains also needs to be reviewed, enabling users to take greater advantage of integrated train and cycle routes across East Hampshire.
Performance and Reliability
It is of course important that the levels of performance and reliability are maintained and improved where necessary, including the ongoing delivery of free WiFi which is being rolled out across the network, ensuring there is enough capacity for use in peak travel times.
Station
Parking
Concerns have been raised with me regarding the lack of adequate parking at Bentley station, particularly given the relatively wide catchment area that this rural station serves.
It’s possible that better ticketing services at Alton would ensure these car parks were utilised more, relieving some of the pressure on Bentley. At present, there is no ticket machine at the additional station car park in Alton (tickets bought via mobile) and no facility to buy season tickets.
Staffing
Greater presence of staff is an ongoing request from rail users, especially during Off Peak times but also to assist passengers requiring extra help, such as wheelchair users.
Accessibility needs to be addressed across the network so there are adequate facilities for those requiring help. This is particularly true for Liphook that still lacks a ramp for wheelchair users.
Door to door journeys
The rail link bus service from Whitehill & Bordon (described under Capacity) is an important example of enabling more door to door journeys between key settlements.
A shuttle service at peak periods from Alton to Four Marks would also be beneficial to meet the growth of housing in the village.
Work should also be done to review how best the rail service can help improve transport links between East Hampshire’s towns and nearby cities across Hampshire, creating wider access for employment, leisure as well as education.
A rail link from the South Western area to London’s principal airport would clearly benefit our area, and support local businesses and residents reliant on air travel connections.
Fares and Ticketing
Ticketing needs to offer greater flexibility, such as the development of season tickets for part weeks and individual days, to fit better with today’s working patterns. It may be valid to consider discounts on some days to smooth capacity utilisation over the week (e.g. Fridays).
Smart ticketing should also enable bus and train tickets to be bought together. This is not only important for people commuting in and out of East Hampshire but also for visitors keen to link their rail journeys through to other parts of the area, such as the South Downs National Park.
The inbound tourism and leisure market in East Hampshire would benefit from a type of return ticket that allowed arrival to one station and return from another, even if on a different line, so opening up more use of long-distance footpaths and cycleways, such as the Shipwright’s Way, for ‘Rail and Trail’ day trips or longer stays.
In light of the raising of the participation age for full time education, the approach to concessions should be reviewed, especially for journeys without a capacity constraint.
In conclusion, I understand that further improvements to the rail service will be forthcoming as part of the remaining franchise delivery - including extra capacity, extra parking spaces, a new online booking system and smart ticketing for season tickets, new ticket machines as well as greater staff presence – but I hope issues raised in this submission can be reflected appropriately within the ITT to ensure that customers in the East Hampshire Constituency get the right rail service and facilities they need beyond 2017."