Constituency matters... a weekly column by the Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe, Damian Collins.
22 December 2011

My work as your Member of Parliament this year has given me the chance to see the constituency from many different angles, including going underground and on the water; so I was delighted last Friday to have the chance to land an airplane at Lydd, alongside the airport’s managing director Hani Mutlaq. Thankfully for all concerned this was only on the very realistic simulator in the flying school.

2012 will be a big year for Lydd Airport, with the expected result of the public inquiry into its controlled expansion, but also the prospect of the Olympic Games bringing-in more business. Lydd is expected to be busy with private flights and the visits of international dignitaries for the games. With this in mind the airport is proposing to run a shuttle bus service to and from Ashford International rail station, where people will be able to get the fast train to the Olympic park in just over 30 minutes. The good news is that the airport is considering offering this service to local residents and other visitors to the area. This could also be a useful offer for many of the Romney Marsh businesses who will be offering accommodation for visitors to the games. I would like to congratulate Lydd Airport on this excellent initiative.

Drivers who use the A20 Roundhill Tunnel viaduct will have been pleased to note that the repair works have now been completed by the Highways Agency in time for the Christmas and New Year holiday traffic. After the initial frustration at the time it was taking for this work to be started, I am pleased that it has been completed ahead of schedule. The two new custom made joints for the viaduct each weight five tonnes and are expected to last 30 years.

So far this winter we have missed out on the snow we experienced last December, but it’s important that good preparations are in place for when it comes, to minimise the disruption. Southeastern Trains and Kent County Council have announced new measures to help keep stations safe and open in the snow and also to clear the tracks. This includes fitting 20 Southeastern 375 electrostar trains with de-icing tanks. These are the trains that operate the non-high speed service in Kent, and which were unable to run in last year’s snow.

Southeastern are also making 16 motorised snow clearance vehicles available for larger stations and depots. There was considerable criticism about the lack of information for customers when the service is disrupted and to overcome this a new public announcement system is being installed at many stations enabling platform announcements to be made directly from the joint Network Rail/Southeastern control room. They have even launched a new Twitter data feed for the latest news which you can follow @Se_Railway.

Whether you are staying at home or travelling to be with friends and family this Christmas, I would like to send you all the best wishes for the season. In particular, I would like to remember everyone one who will be working and away from their loved ones in our armed forces, hospitals, emergency services and on the transport network.

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©