Knebworth's MP has met with residents to discuss train provision and accessibility issues at the train station ahead of a meeting with railway operator Govia Thameslink.

On Saturday, MP Kevin Bonavia held a two-hour drop-in public consultation meeting at Knebworth Village Hall to discuss the loss of fast trains to and from London, an increase in train delays and cancellations, and accessibility issues at the station.

Mr Bonavia said: "After years of doorstep campaigning, I was overwhelmed by the strength of demand from residents for the restoration of regular train service levels, including fast train services to and from London.

"I promised to hold 'town hall' style meetings if I was elected, to bring residents together on important local issues, so it was a priority for me to address this issue head on in Knebworth in the first few months as the MP, and bring people together to further my understanding of the views across the village.

"I was delighted to receive over 50 emails contributing to the consultation and have over 40 people contribute in person throughout the two-hour open consultation event, including district and parish councillors, members of the Knebworth Rail Users’ Forum group, and residents from across the village and beyond.

"I have secured a meeting with the relevant railway operator this month, Govia Thameslink, to raise the following issues that residents have fed back to me:

  • Finalising an agreement on restoring fast trains to and from London by the end of the year
  • Addressing ticket easing and delay compensation issues
  •  Increasing timetable provision around school times, later hours and peak work times
  • Preserving fast trains and regular service levels long-term.

Separate to this, Knebworth residents also raised issues around a lack of accessibility at Knebworth station.

Issues ranged from the lack of a lift or ramp at the station, to difficulty in accessing the station from the east of the village.

In recent years, Knebworth station had a failed bid to ‘Access for All’ funding, which would have triggered a survey looking into accessibility.

Mr Bonavia said: "Restoring fairer service levels is important, but that has to go hand-in-hand with addressing residents’ concerns around accessibility.

"I’ll be working with local councillors to formalise the foundation of a Knebworth Rail Action Group that appoints representatives to join me in meetings with rail operators, councils, planners and other relevant bodies to lobby on matters.

"My office also commits its full support to helping residents create a strong case for the ‘Access for All’ funding when the next funding round opens.

"Further to this, I’ll be addressing issues around parking and street lights around the station with the local council next time I meet with representatives there."

Jenny Saunders, customer services director at Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "We're delighted with the constructive discussions we've had with Knebworth's new MP and very much share his and the community's ambition to introduce fast peak time services by the end of the year. We hope to be able to share good news on this shortly. 

"We know there have been issues with train service reliability in the area. Much of this is outside our direct control, but we're working closely with our industry partners to make things better. 

"All my colleagues care passionately about improving accessibility across the network and we want everyone to be able to use our services with ease. Installing lifts is very expensive, which is why they are paid for by central government.

"We would support any bid to find funding for a feasibility study and future development at Knebworth."