The area has My Journey, a travel awareness campaign, funded by local councils as well as the Department of Transport, to help better coordinate and advertise local public transport. My Journey also runs Solent Go, which is a travel card, allowing one ticket to be used throughout the area.[2]
The area also has a journey planner app, Breeze, which allows for journey planning throughout the region. However, the app does not provide its own tickets, with ticketing being left to transport operators.[3]
Cycling and E-Scooters
Within the city boundaries of both Southampton and Portsmouth, as well as the Isle of Wight, Voi provides a Scooter-sharing system, which also includes E-Bikes. They are accessed by a mobile app. E-Scooters are only for hire for those with a Provisional or Full driving license.[4]
The Southampton City Council has a Ten Year Plan to complete a cycle network throughout the City of Southampton. The plan started in 2017, with it consisting of 9 cycle routes, two of which circle the city while the rest act as arterial routes.[6]
In the South, First Hampshire and Dorset run the First Solent brand. This runs mainly between Gosport bus station, Fareham Bus station and Portsmouth 'The Hard' Bus Station. First also run a route from Southampton to Portsmouth, via Fareham. They also run buses, branded 'Eclipse', that run along Henry Cort Busway. They further operate 'The Star', a service that runs along the route of the old Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway.[8]
Throughout the area Stagecoach South and Xelabus both run limited services, though Stagecoach run many of the services in Havant.[9][10][11]
Park and ride
The area has one official park and ride at Tipner, the Portsmouth P&R, just off the Junction 1 of the M275. Two bus services are run from here – the PR1 to Portsmouth 'The Hard' Bus Station and PR3 to Southsea Front.[12]
The area hosts 5 motorways. The M27 acts as a backbone to the area, running from Cadnam in the North, through the area, to Havant in the South. The M271 links the M27 to Southampton Docks. The M275 links the M27 to Portsea Island. The M3 links Northern Southampton to London, via Winchester. The A3(M) links the M27 to London, via Guildford. All but the M275 are maintained by National Highways, with the M275 being maintained by the Portsmouth City Council.[25]
Issues
In 2014, Fareham was named the most car-dependent town in the UK by the Office for National Statistics with 538.7 cars registered to addresses in the town for every 1,000 residents.[26]
In 2016, it was published that the area has an average car journey speed that is 32% lower than the national average.[27]
Again in 2016, many issues were reported about the Rail Network in the area. These include:[27]
Long journey times between Portsmouth and Southampton.
Congestion on some lines.
Lack of Rail connection to Southampton Cruise terminals, the Waterside (Fawley and Hythe) and Gosport - the largest town in the UK with no rail station.
Slow and congested lines into Waterloo.
No freight or passenger rail connection to Portsmouth Port.
Significant delays along the Eastleigh-Fareham Line due to it being single track for most of its length.
Proposed developments
In the late 1960s, as part of Colin Buchanan's plan for development in the area, a network of motorways were proposed. These include the M270, M272, M273 and M274. All would run from the M27 into the new city, much like the current M271 and M275. The development plan was pulled by Harold Wilson's Labour government and after 1974, the recently restructured local government did not support the scheme. As a result of the changes, Junction 6 of the M27 is missing.[citation needed]
In 1972, as part of the re-organisation of local government under the Local Government Act 1972, the whole area had the Hampshire County Council as the Upper Authority, with Portsmouth and Southampton being designated as local boroughs. In 1997 however, the recommendation of Sir David Cooksey through the Cooksey Commission was implemented, which made Southampton and Portsmouth Unitary Authorities, a situation that remains to this day, where the local authorities are divided through the area.[28][29]
In 1998, Hampshire County Council with Portsmouth City Council proposed a new Light Railway between Fareham and Portsmouth, via Gosport. However, in 2006, the scheme was scrapped, with the council instead building the Henry Cort Busway between Fareham and Gosport.[30]
In 2014, Pro-Link proposed a tunnel connecting the Isle of Wight to the UK mainland. The project is one in a long line of proposed fixed links. However, the issue is seen to be controversial on the Island, with the scheme also having significant cost. As a result, no progress has been made.[31]
Also in 2014, Southampton and Portsmouth City council's, along with seven coastal boroughs claimed support of a new combined authority, much like the one established in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. This would have brought all transport under one authority. However, this plan was dropped due to an objection from Hampshire County Council.[32]
In July 2018, Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership submitted a plan to re-open the Fawley Branch Line, connecting Hythe and Fawley to Southampton. In 2020, a test train was run down the line by South Western Railway, with Network Rail then backing the scheme. Points, signals and crossings would need to be upgraded, as well as rebuilding the demolished stations.[33] In July 2024, it was confirmed that funding for the scheme had been cut, along with the ending of the 'Restoring your Railways Fund', which then chancellor Rachel Reeves called 'unfunded'.[34]
In March 2020, the M3 Junctions 9-14 Smart Motorway Upgrade gained funding, with a completion of 2024. However, the scheme was cancelled in April 2023, due to cost pressures and lack of public support.[35][36]
In September 2021, Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership proposed the 'Solent Metro Line', which would run in a loop from Southampton to Eastleigh, where it would reverse to Fareham, where it would reverse again back to Southampton. They also proposed a new station called Welbourne, to serve the Welbourne Garden City development, as well as a Swanwick Parkway Station. Southampton City Council called the plans a 'golden opportunity'. The plan however, had no financial backing.[37]
Related Research Articles
Fareham is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufacturer of bricks, used to build the Royal Albert Hall, and grower of strawberries and other seasonal fruits. In 2011 it had a population of 42,210.
Gosport is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. At the 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a population was 81,952. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite the city of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by the Gosport Ferry. Gosport lies south-east of Fareham, to which it is linked by a Bus Rapid Transit route and the A32. Until the last quarter of the 20th century, Gosport was a major naval town associated with the defence and supply infrastructure of His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth. As such over the years extensive fortifications were created.
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is 27.9 miles (44.9 km) long and runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, providing the largest two urban areas in Hampshire with a direct motorway link. An extension into the county of West Sussex was planned but never constructed. A number of smaller motorways were proposed, connecting the city centres of Southampton and Portsmouth to the motorway; of these only the M271 and M275 were built. Three sections of the M27 have since been widened to four lanes each way, the first between junctions 7 and 8, the second between junctions 3 and 4, and the third begins at the slip road where junction 11 joins until mid-way to junction 12.
Portchester is a village in the borough of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Portsmouth and around 18 miles east of Southampton on the A27 road. Its population according to the 2011 United Kingdom census was 17,789.
The Borough of Eastleigh is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. It is named after its main town of Eastleigh, where the council is based. The borough also contains the town of Hedge End along with several villages, many of which form part of the South Hampshire urban area.
Whiteley is a planned community of 6,500 homes in the county of Hampshire, England, United Kingdom near Fareham. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham to the south and east, and the city of Winchester to the north and west.
Portsmouth Harbour is a 1,264.2-hectare (3,124-acre)/12.6 km2 (4.9 sq mi) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area.
South Hampshire is a term used mainly to refer to the conurbation formed by the city of Portsmouth, city of Southampton and the non-metropolitan boroughs of Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Eastleigh in southern Hampshire, South East England. The area was estimated to have a population of over 1.5 million in 2013. It is the most populated part of South East England excluding London. The area is sometimes referred to as Solent City particularly in relation to local devolution, but the term is controversial.
Netley, officially Netley Abbey, is a village on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It is situated to the south-east of the city of Southampton, and flanked on one side by the ruins of Netley Abbey and on the other by the Royal Victoria Country Park.
Portsmouth Harbour railway station serves the city of Portsmouth, in Hampshire, England. It is situated in Portsmouth Harbour, between the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre and the Historic Dockyard. It is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. Unusually for a main line railway station, it is built over water as the station was originally constructed on wooden piles, which were later replaced by iron supports.
The Eastleigh–Fareham line is the railway line from Eastleigh to Fareham in England. At Eastleigh, trains join the South West Main Line for onward travel to Basingstoke and London Waterloo. At Fareham trains join the West Coastway Line for onward travel to Portsmouth.
Fareham railway station is on the West Coastway Line, situated about 0.62 miles (1 km) from the town of Fareham in Hampshire, England. It is 84 miles 21 chains (135.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo.
Eastleigh railway station serves the town of Eastleigh in the English county of Hampshire. It is located on the South West Main Line and is the junction station for two other routes, the Eastleigh-Fareham Line and the Eastleigh-Romsey Line. It is 73 miles 35 chains (118.2 km) from London Waterloo. South of the station are Eastleigh Railway Works and Eastleigh Depot.
The A32 is a road in Hampshire, southern England, that links Gosport and Alton. Starting at Gosport, facing Portsmouth, it travels north via Fareham, Wickham, Droxford, before joining the A31 road near Alton. The road is 29.2 miles (47.0 km) long from the seafront at Gosport to the roundabout with the A31 near Alton, and has entirely non-primary status.
First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston.
Solent Blue Line Limited, trading under the name Bluestar, is a bus operator providing services in Southampton and the surrounding areas of Hampshire. It is a subsidiary of the Go South Coast sector of the Go-Ahead Group.
The Gosport and Cosham lines were a collection of railway lines in southern Hampshire. Most of the lines are now closed but some elements are still in use, forming part of the West Coastway line. The lines originally linked to the main London to Southampton line via the Eastleigh–Fareham line and subsequently with a line from Southampton via Bursledon, both of which are still in use.
Buses in Portsmouth are a form of public transport in the city of Portsmouth, England. Motor bus services in Portsmouth began in 1919, and were expanded in the 1930s following the closure of the Portsmouth Corporation Transport tram network. Trolleybuses were also operated between 1934 and 1963. Until 1988 the majority of services were provided by Portsmouth Corporation Transport, a municipal bus company owned by Portsmouth City Council. Other services into the city were operated by Southdown Motor Services, latterly as a subsidiary of the National Bus Company.
Solent Arena was an indoor arena, in Fareham, Hampshire. It was located alongside River Wallington by the M27 motorway.
References
Notes
1.^The area of South Hampshire is not officially defined.
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