Mind the gap – and the wait – because Haslemere has ranked among the top ten worst train stations in Surrey for delays. Nearly one in every four trains that arrived at Haslemere station during the last financial year was late. With just 75.2 per cent of its trains arriving on time or less than three minutes late, it has landed itself fifth on the county’s least reliable list.

But for Woking train users only 72.2 per cent of trains on time, followed by Guildford at 74.2 per cent. Horley, Gomshall, Reigate, Dorking (Deepdene), Byfleet and New Haw, Earlswood, and Redhill complete the top ten.

Sam Dee, a local commuter, said: “The most reliable I have known the railway was under the franchise arrangement with Stagecoach. When it was given to First Group, there was a notable decline. They stopped investing in preventative train maintenance and instead only fixed things when they were broken.

“SWR do not have sufficient plans for dealing with disruption. It is easier for them to simply stop the service entirely rather than run a basic service.”

MP for Haslemere Greg Stafford didn’t hold back: “Rail services in Haslemere – and across Surrey and Hampshire – must improve, but the problem goes beyond any single operator. Most delays are caused by failures in the track network, which is already under public control.

“While a major signalling upgrade on the Portsmouth-London line will help, it is no silver bullet. Simply nationalising South Western Railway – as the Government is set to do – will not fix these fundamental issues.

“It is no coincidence that the Transport Secretary is repackaging these figures just as SWR is being renationalised. Labour promised better rail services, yet fares continue to rise, and they have offered no real plan for improvement.

“We need action from a Government that can actually deliver.”