A small but vital link

South Western Railway Managing Director Andy Mellors sees congestion on the M27 as a reason for a second train between Southampton and Portsmouth ( RAIL 833).

Has he seen the M25 recently? There is currently no alternative to the car for orbital journeys in this part of the South East, leading to severe congestion and dangerous air pollution. Costly proposals for further junction improvements along the Surrey stretch involve the destruction of yet more countryside, feeding even more traffic onto already overloaded local roads.

Just six miles of plain railway between Chertsey and Heathrow and the long-awaited flyover at Woking (already needed to free up the SW timetable) would unlock a rail route, with the potential to provide Hampshire and Surrey with access to major traffic destinations including Heathrow, west London, Old Oak Common and beyond. Heathrow T5 already has provision for western access.

Now that FirstGroup is involved in both the South West and Great Western lines, perhaps at last the railway industry could create this simple (and no doubt highly profitable) link. John Hack, Woking