Letter from South West Trains

I recently attended a reception about the new South Western Franchise. I raised concerns expressed to me by constituents about trackside debris and parking capacity at Wokingham station.

I have since received the enclosed letter from South West Trains:

John Redwood MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

11 December 2015

Dear John

Wokingham Station

Thank you for coming to talk to us about the new South Western Franchise at our Parliamentary Reception on 7 December.

Firstly, you fed back on some flooding and trackside debris issues at Wokingham station. We do have a water-pooling issue adjacent to the footbridge. Our property team have attended to it and Network Rail has further work planned so that the issue is fully rectified within the next month. In respect of the trackside debris, I have requested Network Rail to inspect the site, so arrangements can be made for the debris to be removed.

Secondly, it was good to understand your aspiration for faster journey times from Wokingham. Achieving faster journeys will require a reduction in the number of stops at other stations. Those stations affected as a result would likely need additional services to back-fill so that their train frequency could be maintained. This will depend on the DfT specification for the new franchise, so it is certainly worth reflecting this aspiration in response to the DfT.

Finally, we will shortly be starting the project to increase the size of the car park at Wokingham station. This will create an additional 210 spaces and should be completed by September 2016.

Thank you again for your feedback. I enclose our brochure for your information.

Yours sincerely

James Vickers
Commercial & Business Development Director