GOCO Mid Hants Link rail trial to be postponed

GO! Co-operative Limited trading as GOCO, a multi-stakeholder sustainable travel co-operative, has announced that the trial period for its Mid Hants Link rail service – originally scheduled to begin on 24 January 2011 – is now postponed until further notice.

Following technical issues encountered during the testing programme, it has not been possible to repair the vehicle ahead of the scheduled launch of the public service. Work will continue to address the technical issues with the existing vehicle and during this time, alternative options for a replacement vehicle will also be considered.

Chris Phillimore, Business Development Director for GOCO, said: “We have been very heartened by the overwhelmingly positive response to the concept of the service and feel more confident about its long term success than even when we began planning six months ago. We are committed to providing a reliable high-quality service and will not commence operations with any type of vehicle until we can be satisfied that this can be delivered. We are confident that a suitable solution can be identified and that the trial will go ahead in the very near future.”

Further announcements will be made when the technical issues have been resolved or an alternative vehicle has been sourced. Posters will be distributed and GOCO staff will be present at Alton and Medstead & Four Marks stations on Monday 24 January 2011 to inform any passengers of the postponement of the trial service.

For further updates, please visit www.goco.coop/mid-hants