Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment has he made of the potential contribution of developing increased regular direct rail links between Southampton Airport and Portsmouth stations to the Government’s levelling-up agenda.
Train services in the Solent area were recently examined as part of a Continuous Modular Strategic Plan (CMSP) undertaken by Network Rail with input from key stakeholders including the Department and SWR. The CMSP was published in May 2020 and explored options and constraints to introducing additional services. Analysis has shown that there are considerable railway geography / train path limitations that based on the existing infrastructure severely limit any ability to operate direct service between Portsmouth and Southampton Airport.