The Richmond Park MP, Sarah Olney, has secured a Parliamentary debate to challenge drastic cuts to rail services.

Residents, the two local MPs and Richmond Borough Council are fighting reductions in services across the area, which have been proposed by South Western Railways (SWR).

At the same time as the frequency of services face permanent cuts, many users have reported that the number of carriages on each train has been reduced, causing dangerous overcrowding.

SWT is proposing a 50% reduction in direct trains on some routes alongside reductions in key commuter services from stations, including Whitton, Hampton, Teddington, St Margarets, Mortlake and East Sheen.

Trains connecting Whitton to Richmond and Waterloo would be cut by half, while changes to the so-called Hounslow loop services would have ramifications for surrounding stations.

Commuters, business leaders, parents, whose children need to get to school, and others have slammed the cost-cutting measures.

The Lib Dem party has been 'appalled' by these proposed 'measures as they believe that it is a crucial time to be 'encouraging more people onto the railways'.

This position has gained support in the local community with a petition opposing the changes collecting some 3,441 signatures across Richmond, Twickenham and Kingston.

Ms Olney, who is the Lib-Dem Transport spokesman, will speak against the cuts in the Parliamentary debate on Friday afternoon.

She said: "I'm proud to have secured a vital debate in Parliament to raise with the Government the devastating effect these cuts have on people in both Richmond and Kingston boroughs.

"As we rebuild from the Covid-19 pandemic and do our bit to tackle the climate emergency, SWR and the Department for Transport should be adding further capacity to our railways, not cutting services as a cost saving measure."

The Kingston petition can be found here.

The Twickenham and Richmond petitions can be found here.