Local MP, Maria Miller, met South Western Railways at Basingstoke Station, to talk about how rail services are currently operating, the pressure on facilities in Basingstoke station as some passenger number rise and how the station services have been improved to help keep pace, including improved bike storage, new WCs and community art to brighten up waiting areas.
Maria said: “As a regular train user I can see that passenger numbers are getting back to more normal levels so it's good that SWR have used the last 2 years to plan improvements to Basingstoke Station. New loos, improved assisted boarding for people who need extra help getting on and off the train, a new 250 capacity bike lock-up and waiting room art installations created by local college students.
“But with more people comes more congested trains and station platforms; and I continue to press SWR to ease that pressure by reinstating a full timetable, including longer trains in peak and shoulder periods as soon as possible.
“Significant increases in train passengers in Basingstoke over the past decade may have dipped over the past 2 years, but we are now heading back to pre-pandemic levels. In Basingstoke platform congestion, particularly at morning and evening peak times, cannot be ignored. I want SWR to make better use of all the space in Basingstoke station so that platform entrances and exits are not blocked by the sheer number of passengers at peak times. Basingstoke is used extensively by students getting to college, older residents attending Hospital appointments in Winchester and Southampton; as well as those of us who rely on the service to get to work in London. Climate Change and the rising cost of fuel make the train a choice for more people more often. I want our station to be a place where everyone feels safe, at whatever time of day they need to use it.”
Passenger levels are increasing, although they are still a way off pre-pandemic levels: The recent data (for w/c 13th June) shows an overall recovery rate (passenger journeys) was 73% of pre-Covid levels. That included a recovery rate of 54% of pre-Covid travel in Peak periods and 111% of pre-Covid travel in Off Peak (likely driven by sporting events).
SWR’s current timetable service level is approximately 85% of pre-Covid, meaning they are providing greater capacity than current demand.