Twickenham Spared from Rail Cuts

1.31.00pm GMT Thu 27th Feb 2003

Following the leak of news of cuts in South West Train services on the Reading line (as part of the Strategic Rail Authority's attempts to improve punctuality) Vincent Cable, MP, has spoken to the Managing Director of SW Trains and established that there will be no cuts in services to and from Twickenham.

Vincent Cable said: "There is a worrying process taking place. Service cuts are being made, without consultation, in order to improve punctuality of trains on the congested routes to Waterloo. However, Mr Haines has reassured me that neither peak nor off-peak services will be affected. I remain concerned that this new policy may result in deferment of promised "

"service improvements - a doubling of trains on the Kingston loop line for example - but at least those local people who have built their daily schedules around the existing frequency of services will not be negatively affected".