COMMUTERS and families are being urged to back a 'Save our Train Services' petition designed to challenge plans to halve services in parts of south west London.

The Lib-Dems have been leafletting travellers at stations in the area to flag up the cuts as well as running an online campaign urging residents to object.

South Western Railway (SWR) is planning to make a number of reductions in services that were applied during the pandemic permanent under a new timetable due to come into effect in December 2022.

The move is being fought by the Twickenham and Richmond Park MPs, Munira Wilson and Sara Olney, who have challenged the cuts in Parliament, as well as Lib-Dem councillors on Richmond Borough Council.

A spokesman for the campaigners said the plans 'contain alarming proposals for that would slash valuable train services in our local area'.

They said that services to Waterloo from St Margarets, North Sheen and Mortlake are being cut from four to two trains per hour, losing the service every 15 minutes and instead becoming half-hourly.

Teddington, Hampton Wick and Strawberry Hill will all lose two trains per hour during the morning peak.

Whitton will lose service on the Hounslow loop off-peak, though it will continue to run to Twickenham. This means that passengers will have to change at Twickenham for trains to Waterloo. Whitton will also lose one of its extra peak trains from Aldershot.

The Liberal-Democrats said the train company is blaming the planned reductions in services on cost-cutting, which is being imposed by the Department of Transport.

A party spokesman said: "As Liberal Democrats, we know how important these train services are to local people and we are appalled by the Department for Transport's insistence on reducing services as a cost-cutting measure.

"These cuts will lead to overcrowding on SWR services which incentivises people to drive instead, and therefore would be damaging for the local air quality. Proper public transportation service is needed to prevent this.

"We're leading the fightback against these dreadful plans. Our local Liberal Democrat Council and local MPs will be responding to the consultation to voice our unequivocal opposition to these proposals.

"Together we can stop these unnecessary plans and ensure Richmond Borough continues to receive the train services that we all need."

The director of official passenger watchdog, London TravelWatch, Emma Gibson, has challenged the changes, saying: "These look like significant cuts. For somewhere like St Margarets to get just two trains an hour is a big backward step. The trains not only serve commuters but also provide important links for people moving around in south west and west London.

"Premature cuts to service could put a lot of people off returning to the railway and disadvantage those who have no choice but to travel. We would expect South Western Railway to closely monitor customer needs and adapt their services accordingly."

In response to the concerns of the MP and residents, an SWR spokesperson said: "With customer journeys forecast to return to 76 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, it is appropriate that we right-size our services to match demand, improve reliability for our customers and reduce costs for the taxpayer."

The campaigners are urging people to respond to an SWR consultation on the changes to the timetable here.

They are also asking people to sign a petition against the cuts via information here.