Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to upgrade signalling infrastructure on the South Western Main Line between Basingstoke and London Waterloo; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such upgrades on services serving North East Hampshire constituency.

Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain, is responsible for planning and delivering signalling renewals. There are currently no major signalling upgrade schemes planned between Basingstoke and London Waterloo within the current Control Period to March 2027.

However, Network Rail, working with South Western Railway, is investing over £600 million across the wider route to improve performance, including targeted track and signalling interventions, level crossing upgrades and resilience works. On the Woking to London Waterloo corridor, a programme of smaller signalling improvements is being delivered to enhance reliability. These measures are expected to reduce delays and cancellations across the route, benefiting passengers travelling to and from North East Hampshire. Network Rail is also considering longer-term options for renewing the Wimbledon area signalling system as part of future investment planning.