The Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, Mims Davies, has met with the Managing Director of South Western Railway (SWR), Andy Mellors, to discuss how the rail provider plans to support her constituents, as well as the need for infrastructure across the region.
Commenting, Mims said:
“It was great to be able to meet with Andy, and talk about the plans that SWR has for our area having recently taken over the rail franchise, while also raising concerns that have been raised with me by my constituents.”
“I was particularly pleased to learn that all trains within the franchise are set to be refurbished, with SWR having signed contracts worth £50m with Siemens and works being carried out within my constituency. This will see changes to the internal layout of the trains, providing extra capacity, something that has been raised with me by constituents. Meanwhile, proposals within the change to services are expected to see more trains running on the franchise, including on Sundays.”
“We are fortunate to have great colleges within our area, and I am pleased to see that SWR have recognised this, and will be introducing a discounted fair for 16-18 year olds, while next year a flexible season ticket on the smart card is to be launched.”
Commenting on the recent strikes by the RMT, Mims said:
“I have made clear that the recent strikes called by the RMT on the South Western network - as well as on rail networks across the country - were totally unnecessary. SWR ensured that the vast majority of services continued to run on these two strike days, and having asked about staffing levels, I am pleased to hear that the company are hiring more drivers and guards to support reliability for passengers in future.”
“I was also pleased to be able to speak about the importance of supporting future infrastructure projects for the Eastleigh constituency, and I look forward to working alongside SWR as well as other stakeholders to build upon this work in the future.”