CAMPAIGNERS have gained a powerful ally in their bid to secure the re-opening of a Hampshire rail route.

New Forest District Council is backing calls to restore passenger services on the old Totton to Hythe branch line, which fell victim to the Beeching cuts in the 1960s.

Since then the line has been a freight-only route serving Marchwood Military Port and until recently Fawley refinery.

Campaigners calling for passenger trains to be reintroduced say services could cut congestion on the A326, described as the longest cul-se-sac in Hampshire.

They have redoubled their efforts following the submission of plans to transform the old Fawley power station site by building more than 1,000 homes and a raft of commercial and community facilities.

Supporters of the proposal received a double boost earlier this year.

South Western Railway ran a successful test service - said to have been the first passenger train to visit Marchwood station for 50 years - and Hampshire County Council was awarded a Department of Transport grant that will fund a feasibility study.

Now members of the district council have unanimously voted in favour of backing the reintroduction of passenger trains.

Totton councillor David Harrison, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group, said: "I am very optimistic that before I retire I will see the return of a passenger service along the Waterside railway.”

Cllr Malcolm Wade said the proposed reopening of the line was just the sort of “forward-thinking” transport scheme the authority should pursue.

Cllr Maureen Holding, a former chairman of the Tory-run council, added: "We must push for this as it will make a big difference.”

The old Hythe station is now a heritage centre but the track is still in place, along with the signals and level crossings.

Reopening and upgrading the line is expected to cost between £20m and £30m. Ideas under discussion include a new station, Hythe and Fawley Parkway, which would boast a park-and-ride facility.

Last month it was revealed that another rail route axed as a result of the Beeching cuts is set to re-open - 55 years after trains were withdrawn.

The Denbigh to Corwen line in Wales is poised to benefit from a £500m government scheme that aims to reverse some of the closures ordered in the 1960s.

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