THE CONCEPT and progress of a planned light train service between Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth is to be the subject of a public lecture.

The Portsmouth liaison group of the Institute of Incorporated Engineers is holding a lecture evening on Wednesday, January 17.

The venue is the Octagon Room at Ferneham Hall, in Osborne Road, Fareham.

The title is The South Hants Rapid Transport and it will be given by Mike Gannon, senior engineer on the Light Rapid Transport system, for Hampshire County Council.

The lecture will feature the scheme between Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham, how it fits into the wider SHRT network concept and a number of engineering difficulties that have been overcome.

The lecture begins at 7.30pm. There is ample free parking and the lecture is open to all members of the public.

The scheme has not been granted planning permission or funding by the government, but local authority backers are confident it is viable and will help ease traffic congestion.

Environment Secretary John Prescott was expected to give the initial go-ahead for the LRT by the end of last year but the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions has asked for further details of the plan before any decisions on its future are made.

Also crucial to the scheme's future is the awaited result of a public inquiry into concerns raised about aspects of the LRT. The inquiry evidence is being considered by a planning inspector.