MP Endorses 'Once-In-A-Decade' Proposal for New Rail Service

A Hampshire MP is backing "once-in-a-generation" plans to launch a new rail service linking the New Forest with Southampton and London.

Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, is urging the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to approve an application to reopen part of the Totton to Hythe branch line.

The route, which previously extended down to Fawley, has been exclusively for freight since the 1960s.

Campaigners have spent years calling for passenger services on the route to be restored to ease pressure on the A326 and other roads.

Plans to run passenger trains from Marchwood station to Southampton and London have been unveiled (Image: Newsquest)

In 2024 the government put the brakes on plans to reopen the line, saying the scheme would fail to deliver value for money.

But the proposal has since been replaced by a privately-funded alternative.

Grand Union Trains aims to reopen Marchwood station and run services to Southampton and London under its Alliance Rail banner. Longer-term plans include a park-and-ride facility near the previous Hardley Halt station.

READ MORE: A fresh effort to operate passenger services on the old Totton to Hythe railway line has been initiated.

Ms Kaur has written to ORR to voice her support for the scheme.

Her letter says: "After the withdrawal of funding for the Restoring Your Railway Fund in Autumn 2024, this proposal is much welcome news in our community.

"Alliance Rail's privately funded plan is particularly compelling.

"It does not rely on public money and the company itself is prepared to invest and underwrite all the risks in return for a 7-year franchise that will deliver an hourly service linking Marchwood to Totton and Southampton, ten times a day, with five of the services traveling to Hook and Waterloo.

"I urge you to accept this exciting application.

"In the 2022 Network Rail survey, 84 per cent of people backed proposals to reinstate the line for passenger services and with good reason.

"This introduction of this historic line could be transformative, providing a reliable and sustainable alternative for car use."

Special excursions are currently the only passenger trains that visit Marchwood station (Image: Supplied)

Posting on social media, the Member of Parliament also stated: "I'm delighted to back the proposal for reinstating passenger services along the Marchwood branch railway line, linking Marchwood, Totton, and Southampton."

The traffic jams on Millbrook Road and Marchwood Bypass become hellishly congested during peak hours, leading to air pollution in our region and significant hold-ups for motorists.

This is an unparalleled opportunity in a generation to enhance matters - sparking development, opportunities, and sustainability along the Waterside and within Southampton. Let’s make this happen!

David Harrison, a Hampshire county councilor, represents the areas of Marchwood and Totton South.

He said: "Very happy to get the full support of Satvir Kaur for the project to open up the Waterside line to Marchwood (and hopefully beyond that at a later stage)."