A response from Sir Peter Bottomley MP:
Govia Thameslink Railway’s public engagement on our proposals to improve Southern services on the West Coastway from 2024 ends soon.
This would change services between Brighton, Worthing, Chichester, Portsmouth, and Southampton and services to London Victoria via Horsham.
The changes aim to improve reliability, especially for journeys over longer distances, and create more space on trains for customers.
The headline changes are:
The two-per-hour London Victoria via Horsham and Gatwick Airport trains would serve Portsmouth only, with the two-per-hour Brighton trains serving Southampton only
Quicker journey times on the Southampton-Brighton route, with an extra stop at Woolston, where easy connections with the local bus networks provide easy access to Southampton city centre
A new, half-hourly, all-stations Brighton to Chichester service via Littlehampton, improving local journeys and providing extra capacity on the busy route between Brighton and Worthing
The engagement period will run until Wednesday 27 September.
I encourage local rail users and commuters to view and respond to the consultation.
Full details on the proposed changes, the engagement period and how to provide feedback are available online: https://www.southernrailway.com/westcoastway
