HARD pressed Hampshire rail commuters are waiting to find out how much of the £15 billion avalanche of investment unveiled yesterday by the Government will find its way onto the county's network.

Rail bosses said it was too early to say how many of the 900 extra carriages promised for the region would end up on South West Trains routes.

There were also no details as to whether any Hampshire stations would be among 150 in line for an upgrade.

The Government said it wanted train companies to increase the number of trains running on time from the present 88 per cent to 92.6 per cent by 2014.

But while Government money for the railways will amount to £15.3 billion between 2009 an 2014, passenger will have to pay more. Revenue from fares is expected to reach £39.2 billion over the same period. The finances are based on estimates that the railway will expand by at least 180 million passenger journeys a year.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced £5.5bn will be spent transforming the Thameslink line, a north-south line dissecting London.

She also said that £600m would be spent between now and 2015 improving Birmingham New Street and Reading stations, removing bottlenecks.The minister said: "This strategy is aimed at delivering what passengers want - and so not only will there be more capacity and reliability on their trains but also more modern stations, simple and efficient ticketing, quality of service and value for money."

A spokesman for SWT said they were still studying the implications of the announcement, but said the company welcomed any investment.

Bob Crow, general secretary of transport union the RMT, hit out at high fares and the franchise system on Britain's railway.

"Rail passengers are already paying through the nose to subsidise the profit habits of fat-cat franchisees and train-leasing companies," he said.

"Our rail fares are already among the most expensive in Europe, and the ludicrous franchise deals signed off in recent months will mean massive hikes year on year."