A councillor for Isleworth has written to South Western Railway in opposition to their proposed cuts to the Twickenham and Waterloo rail service.

Cllr Salman Shaheen, Chair of Brentford & Isleworth Constituency Labour Party, said this service is vital to south Isleworth commuters.

Cllr Shaheen wrote:

"Having lived on Twickenham Road and worked in the City, I can tell you the Twickenham to Waterloo route is a vital service for the commuters in the southern half of Isleworth.

"Isleworth ward is poorly served by public transport. It does not have a tube station and Isleworth railway station is only of use to those living in the northern half of the ward.

"For those living in the south of the ward, it is a half hour walk to Isleworth station. Twickenham station, which is around 15 minutes' walk for those living in the south of Isleworth and is easily reachable via the 267 bus, is for many residents the only viable fast commute into central London.

"I would therefore urge you to consider the views of the many Isleworth residents I have heard from who are strongly opposed to this reduction in service. I hope you will take into account their views alongside those of residents across the border in Twickenham."

South Western Railway have launched a December 2022 timetable consultation to review future services across the network.

Cllr Shaheen believes that railways should be run for the public good and not for profit.

He said: "Ultimately, when we have railways run by private companies for profit, they will always look to maximise their gains and this will often come at the expense of commuters who already have to put up with cramped conditions at exorbitant prices.

"This will push more people into cars at a time when we need effective public transport to help us bring down CO2 emissions and improve air quality.

"The railways should be brought back into public ownership and run for the good of us all."

Cllr Shaheen previously led a campaign that saved the 110 bus route between the Ivybridge Estate and West Middlesex Hospital from being cut by TFL.

Teddington MP Munira Wilson also challenged plans to slash rail services that would affect services to Richmond.

South Western Railway says the plan to cut services is part of an initiative to 'build back a better railway for the future'.

The company said: "We are acutely aware that in the past we have responded to ever growing customer demand by increasing the number of trains on the SWR network, often at the expense of the performance and reliability of our services.

"But, as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, we have a unique opportunity to build back a better railway for the future.

"Even though passengers are now returning to the railways, all the forecasts suggest they will not return to pre-Covid levels for the foreseeable future."

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