After a long campaign, with many ups and downs, I am delighted that the Government have announced that Oyster will be extended to Radlett this year.

As readers will know, this is something I have pressed for constantly since becoming your Member of Parliament. In the run up to last year’s Budget, I heavily lobbied the Chancellor and at my most recent meeting with the new Rail Minister in late November, I was frank with him about how frustrated people were at the repeated delays to the roll-out of the system.

After the appalling year of disruption we have had to put up with on Thameslink and London Northwestern, I hope this announcement will come as welcome news to everyone who, like me, commutes on the train into the city each day.

More widely though, the extension of Oyster will allow people to travel more flexibly, easily and cheaply. This will bring great benefits to our local economy and just as importantly enhance the best of both worlds we enjoy living in our area; wonderful countryside right on our doorstep and convenient access to one of the greatest cities in the world.

I will not ease up the pressure though until the system at the station is fully operational and actually being used by passengers. I will monitor the progress of the extension closely over the coming months to ensure that the Department for Transport sticks to its promises.