Surrey County Council has asked the Government to help address an urgent need for longer trains, faster journeys and more platforms in the county to reduce overcrowding and boost the economy.

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, the council asked for help to increase rail capacity in the county, arguing that less congestion and more trains would help businesses grow and stimulate job creation.

John Furey, the cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "Surrey’s trains are already overcrowded and they will become more so as the demand for rail travel increases in the coming years.

"We need to reduce bottlenecks and build more platforms at key junctions such as Guildford or Woking, as well as introducing the latest signalling technology.

"Good transport links are vital to the economic recovery. Surrey contributes around £28billion to the UK economy which is more than anywhere outside London.

"We’ve written to the Secretary of State for Transport to ask for support in addressing the demand for increased rail capacity, which would help Surrey further contribute to Britain’s economic recovery."

The letter highlighted four key priorities: more capacity, faster journeys and reduction in overcrowding; improved rail access to Heathrow Airport from the south; changes to the Gatwick Express so it no longer displaces commuters onto the Brighton main line; and the need for more train services from Reading to Gatwick Airport via the North Downs line.