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A PACKAGE of measures aimed at improving Romsey's rail station and encouraging more people to use the commuter line is being investigated.

Ideas being floated by the newly-formed Romsey Station Volunteers Group, which comes under the umbrella of the Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership, include better access for the disabled, improved signage and promoting the town' s visitor attractions.

There are also plans to turn the former stationmaster's house into a youth hostel and expand the station car park.

In the 12 months up to September, 2007, 552,000 passenger journeys started or finished at Romsey.

Aspirations of individuals, groups, train operators, the borough and county councils were discussed at a special meeting organised by the Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership.

Partnership chairman, Nick Farthing, said the station was a "gateway" to Romsey, with four trains an hour and the steering group was there to help promote rail services and improvements at the station The group's rail officer, Mark Miller, said: "We are getting communities involved in looking after their stations. We already have volunteers at Chandler's Ford station and Mottisfont and Dunbridge station."

He said the partnership was involved with Romsey School in a project to brighten up the station with GCSE art murals on walls and it was planned to put up some hanging baskets.

Viv Messenger, the borough council transport planner, said it was keen to see improvements at the station, particularly access.

"It's difficult to access the far platform, No 1, and there are no direct bus links to the station, either. We have been working with Network Rail, Hampshire County Council, First Great Western and South West Trains to pull together some ideas for improvements. We are hoping HCC will carry out a feasibility study," she said.

A turning circle for buses was also needed, said Mrs Messenger.

Professor Peter Shoolingan-Jordan, chairman of the Romsey Buildings Preservation Trust, explained the organisation's plans to convert the former stationmaster's house into a hostel which would be sublet to the Youth Hoste Association.

"There is an acute shortage of youth hostels in the area. The YHA is supporting the conversion of the four-storey building. It is probably going to cost around £800,000 and the trust is applying for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund," said the Professor.

"We've been promised some money from the Railway Heritage Fund and we already have listed-building consent. I don't think there will be any problem with a planning application. The railway is here so people can come and leave by it."

He said that the trust hoped to have a heritage education room in the 30-bed hostel and wanted to organise heritage trails and get schools involved.

"The idea is to put the building to community use. It will do good things for Romsey. We are hoping to finalise the package by September," said Prof Shoolingan-Jordan.

Town resident and volunteer, Susan Hartley, highlighted problems getting bicycles and pushchairs on trains because of the lack of space.

"It's terrible, there's no space," she said, giving as an example an incident in which some cyclists had been refused permission to board a train with their bikes because of no storage space.

Town centre manager, Christine Cole, reminded the meeting that the Hampshire Water Festival was being held in Romsey during August. Miss Cole asked for ideas on encouraging festival-goers to use the train.

She added that Romsey staged many events, including regular farmers markets and specialists markets, and she would like to see more people attracted to the town by train.

"We want people to spend money here; it's important for the market town's survival," said Miss Cole.

Mark Miller said a new free Sunday and bank holiday minibus service, linking Test Valley tourist attractions and rail stations in the area, would operate through the summer.

The minibus will pick up and drop off passengers at Romsey and Mottisfont and Dunbridge stations and take them to the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, at Ampfield, and Mottisfont Abbey each Sunday until September 28.

After the meeting, an optomistic Mr Miller said: "It is clear there are many great ideas which we can start working on in the near future, such as a volunteer group which would not only benefit the station, but the town as a whole, and I look forward to our next meeting iwhich will start to pull together a dynamic action plan."

9:26am Saturday 10th May 2008

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