NETWORK Rail is set to launch a public consultation on proposals to reopen a Hampshire branch line that closed to passengers in the 1960s.

Campaigners have spent years calling for trains to be reintroduced on the old Totton to Hythe route to ease congestion on the A326 and other roads in the area.

If the scheme goes ahead Marchwood station will reopen and a new transport hub will be built at Hythe.

Daily Echo: Marchwood station will reopen if proposals to reintroduce passenger services on the line are given the go-ahead.Marchwood station will reopen if proposals to reintroduce passenger services on the line are given the go-ahead. (Image: Chris Yandell, Newsquest)

The line, which originally extended as far south as Fawley, closed in 1965-66 and became a freight-only route serving industrial sites. No passenger trains have run for many years, apart from the occasional excursion.

In 2020 the Department for Transport (DfT) launched "Restoring Your Railway", a £500m bid to reopen lines and stations across the UK.

Hampshire County Council successfully applied for funds to develop proposals to reintroduce passenger services on the Totton-Hythe line.

The DfT agreed to contribute towards the cost of economic studies and a business case and recently awarded an extra £6m.

Daily Echo: Signals at Marchwood station, which will reopen if proposals to restore passenger services on the line are approved.Signals at Marchwood station, which will reopen if proposals to restore passenger services on the line are approved. (Image: Newsquest)

A Network Rail spokesman said: "The additional funding is being used to develop a final business case and to continue to develop proposals.

"We’re engaging specialist suppliers to develop design options and engineers are carrying out investigations on the line.

"Our proposals are subject to a positive review of the business case, and we are still to determine what changes would be needed to the existing railway infrastructure."

The spokesman said growth in Hythe and Marchwood area had resulted in increased congestion on the A326.

He added: "Regular passenger services could help alleviate this congestion by allowing local commuting and providing links to destinations further afield from Southampton."

The spokesman said the recently approved plan to build 1,500 new homes at Fawley would be "well served" by the proposals.

Daily Echo: The former Hythe station in 1970. A new station will be built if plans to reopen the line are approved.The former Hythe station in 1970. A new station will be built if plans to reopen the line are approved.

The public consultation will include the following drop-in sessions: August 10, St Anne's Neighbourhood Centre, Hythe, 4pm-8pm; August 11, Marchwood Junior School, 5pm-7pm; August 12, Totton and Eling Community Centre, 2.30pm-6.30pm; August 13, Hythe and Dibden Parish Hall, 10am-2pm; August 15, Jubilee Hall, Fawley, 2pm-6pm; September 5, Marchwood Junior School, 6pm-10pm; September 6, Hythe and Dibden Parish Hall, 4pm-8pm; September 8, Totton and Eling Community Centre, 2pm-6pm; September 9, Jubilee Hall, Fawley, 10am-2pm.

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