Liberal Democrat politicians Sarah Olney MP and Councillor Gareth Roberts AM have written to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to explain the "repeated" District Line disruption at Richmond Station.

The letter, written on 18 July, calls on Khan to come forward with an answer as to why over the last four month there has been frequent disruption on the line, leaving resident with "very little redundancy in Richmond" believe Olney and Roberts.

The two Lib Dem politicians in their letter state: "These line closures have resulted in workers failing to get to their jobs on time, extended is journeys to and from school for children, missed appointments, and wasted money on tickets to events in other areas of London.

"The repeated faults have also caused a substantial issue for visitors coming from across London to visit Kew Gardens. Local buses do not have capacity for this additional demand, resulting in many tourists being forced to choose between extended waits for less overcrowded buses or an expensive cab fare to a functioning station."

Olney and Roberts argue that there is minimal alternatives to access the Underground from Richmond if not the District Line. However, they understand "that that ageing infrastructure means repairs will not be uncommon," but that the recent ongoing disruptions needs an explanation.

They added: "If you and your team were able to explain the cause behind these repeated issues, clarify the work that is taking place to rectify them, and reassure us that every reasonable action is being taken to prevent further issues over the summer, this would help put our constituents' minds at rest."

Laurence Bowman, route director for Network Rail Anglia, said: "We're sorry that services have been disrupted on the Richmond branch line in the recent weeks affecting Overground and District line passengers. This has been caused by a spike in track and signal failures in this complex and busy area of the network as well as train fleet issues.

"We are working with TfL and train operators to improve the service our passengers deserve by fixing faults more quickly and removing track defects, with a long-term plan to improve how we control services and replace track and signalling."

Sadiq Khan is yet to issue a response.

To read the full letter from Sarah Olney MP and Cllr Gareth Roberts AM, click here.

We want to provide Richmond with more and more clickbait-free local news. To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following. Help us survive and sign up for our free weekly newsletter by clicking the link HERE.

Follow Richmond Nub News on Facebook , Instagram and X to stay updated on the latest news in your area. Don't miss out!