South Western Railway

This article is about the current operator of the South Western railway franchise. For the former operator, see South West Trains. For the historical railway company, see London & South Western Railway.

South Western Railway

Overview
Franchise(s)	South Western (20 Aug 2017 – 18 Aug 2024)
Main region(s)	Greater London Surrey Hampshire Dorset Berkshire
Other region(s)	Isle of Wight Wiltshire Somerset Devon
Parent company	FirstGroup (70%) MTR Corporation (30%)
Reporting mark	SW
Other
Website	www.southwesternrailway.com/
Route map

South Western Railway (SWR) is an English train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and MTR Corporation (30%) that operates the South Western franchise. It operates the majority of commuter services from its Central London terminus at London Waterloo to South West London. It provides outer suburban and regional services in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset, as well as regional services in Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire. Its subsidiary Island Line operates services on the Isle of Wight.

SWR was awarded the South Western franchise in March 2017, and took over from South West Trains, owned by Stagecoach, on 20 August 2017.

History

After failing to negotiate an extension of the South Western franchise with the incumbent South West Trains (owned by Stagecoach), the Department for Transport (DfT) announced in July 2015 that the franchise would be relet.

In February 2016, the DfT announced FirstGroup and Stagecoach had been shortlisted to bid for the next South Western franchise. In June 2016, MTR Corporation took a 30% shareholding in the FirstGroup bid. In July 2016, the DfT issued the Invitation to Tender.

In March 2017, the franchise was awarded to First/MTR with operations commencing on 20 August 2017. It will run until 18 August 2024, with an option for the DfT to extend for a further 48 weeks.

In July 2017, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) sought undertakings from SWR that it would not abuse its monopoly on services to the West of England, Dorset and Somerset, as FirstGroup also operates the Greater Western franchise in these regions.

On the first day of full service (21 August 2017), the RMT Union staged a protest at London Waterloo in the morning peak calling on South Western Railway to provide assurance that they will provide guards on all their train services because "it is unsafe". A FirstGroup spokesman said: "We know that a second member of staff provides assurance to our passengers on trains and ensures we have capable colleagues on board to deliver assistance during the journey for anyone that needs help or advice while travelling on our trains. This is why we will always plan to retain two people on our services."

Services

South Western Railway is the key operator for western Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset, and also serves London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon.

Most SWR services run on electrified lines using the 750 V DC third-rail system. There is a diesel fleet for services on the West of England line to Salisbury, Exeter and Bristol, using the unelectrified track beyond Worting Junction just west of Basingstoke, and for Salisbury to Southampton via Romsey services which also serve Eastleigh. SWR operates almost 1,700 train services per day.

From London Waterloo, SWR's London terminus, long-distance trains run to southern England, including the major coastal population centres of Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. There are also trains to Reading, Exeter and Bristol, but these are not the principal fast services from London to those cities, which are operated from London Paddington by Great Western Railway. The majority of its passengers are on suburban commuter lines in inner and south-west London, Surrey, east Berkshire, and north-east Hampshire.

As with most rail companies, non-folding bicycles are banned from peak-time trains to and from London. However, these restrictions apply only to cyclists boarding or alighting in the area bounded by Hook, Alton, Guildford, Reading and Dorking, in order to maximise available passenger space on the most crowded trains.

South Western Railway trains have quiet areas in common with other operators. These are available on most outer-suburban services and on some express services and are indicated by notices in the windows and signs on the doors. Passengers in these areas are requested not to use mobile phones to take calls or play music out loud.

Routes

South Western Railway operates suburban and long-distance trains. Main destinations included: London Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Barnes, Richmond, Twickenham, Hounslow, Ascot, Staines, Reading, Windsor & Eton Riverside, Kingston, Epsom, Raynes Park, Motspur Park, New Malden, Chessington South, Surbiton, Leatherhead, Weybridge, Dorking, Effingham Junction, Woking, Guildford, Aldershot, Alton, Farnborough Main, Fleet, Basingstoke, Haslemere, Andover, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Central, Romsey, Salisbury, Fareham, Portsmouth & Southsea, Brockenhurst, Portsmouth Harbour, Bournemouth, Poole, Westbury, Bristol Temple Meads, Weymouth, Yeovil Junction and Exeter St Davids.

Main lines

The seven main lines operated by SWR are:

• The South Western Main Line (SWML) to Southampton Central, Bournemouth and Weymouth. 2 trains an hour through to Weymouth (1 fast and 1 semi-fast) and 1 train an hour to Poole (stopping) Mondays-Saturdays, with Sunday Bournemouth services extended to Poole.
• The Portsmouth Direct Line via Guildford and Haslemere: leaves the main line at Woking. 4 trains per hour to Guildford, then 1 semi-fast service and 1 stopping service to Haslemere. The semi-fast service continues as a stopping service to Portsmouth. The fast services run approximately half-hourly Mondays-Saturdays, 2 trains per hour (1 fast, 1 stopping from Guildford) on Sundays.
• The West of England Main Line to Salisbury, Yeovil Junction and Exeter St Davids: leaves the main line at Basingstoke.
• Wessex Main Line (part): Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads. This service originates from London Waterloo and divides at Salisbury.
• Heart of Wessex Line (part): Yeovil Junction to Yeovil Pen Mill / Frome. This service originates from London Waterloo and divides at Yeovil Junction.
• London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Basingstoke and Eastleigh. Hourly service off-peak Mondays-Saturdays, merges with the Poole train on Sundays.
• London Waterloo to Reading via Staines-upon-Thames, Ascot and Wokingham.

Suburban services

Suburban services diverge from the above routes. Taken in order westwards from Waterloo, travelling down the SWML, they are:

• Waterloo to Reading line: from Clapham Junction
  • The Hounslow Loop Line from Barnes to Whitton or Feltham
  • The Windsor branch from Staines-upon-Thames
  • The Chertsey loop line from Virginia Water to Weybridge
  • The Ascot to Guildford line via Aldershot
• The Mole Valley Line, from Raynes Park to Dorking via Epsom
  • The Chessington branch from Motspur Park
  • The branch to Guildford from Leatherhead
• The Kingston Loop Line, from New Malden (Main Line) to Twickenham (Reading Line)
  • The Shepperton branch from Teddington; normally, these services run via New Malden, some peak services run via Twickenham
• The New Guildford Line, to Guildford via Cobham from Surbiton (travellers from Guildford to London can also travel via the main line through Woking)
• The Hampton Court branch, also from Surbiton
• The Alton branch, from Brookwood also serves the Mid Hants Railway, a heritage line

Other services

• Southampton local lines: Salisbury to Romsey via Southampton Central and Chandler's Ford
• Lymington Branch Line (Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier)
• Southampton Central to Portsmouth & Southsea

Future services

Improvements promised under the new contract:

• Refurbished trains
• Journeys to London 8 minutes faster from Southampton, 9 minutes faster from Bournemouth, 10 minutes faster from Exeter and 14 minutes faster from Weymouth
• Free Wi-Fi at all stations and on mainland trains
• 29 additional weekday and Saturday services between Portsmouth & Southsea and Southampton Central
• 35 additional weekday and Saturday services between Portsmouth & Southsea and London Waterloo
• More Sunday services
• Investment in stations, including improvements to Southampton Central station
• Live information on seating availability and crowding levels via a new mobile phone app

Rolling stock

South Western Railway inherited a fleet of Class 158, Class 159, Class 444, Class 450, Class 455, Class 456, Class 458, Class 483 and Class 707s from South West Trains. This is as yet unchanged.

Fleet table

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Carriages	Number	Routes	Built
			mph	km/h
Mainland
158 Express Sprinter		DMU	90	145	2	10	London Waterloo – Salisbury / Exeter St Davids (Occasionally) / Bristol Temple Meads Exeter St Davids – Honiton / Axminster (Weekday service) Romsey – Salisbury via Southampton Central Brockenhurst – Lymington Pier (Weekday services)	1989–1992
159 South Western Turbo		DMU	90	145	3	30	West of England / Heart of Wessex / Wessex Main Lines: London Waterloo – Salisbury / Bristol Temple Meads / Exeter St Davids / Yeovil Pen Mill / Frome Portsmouth Harbour – Basingstoke (Morning Service) Portsmouth Harbour – Southampton Central (Occasionally)	159/0 1992–1993 159/1 Converted 2006–2007
444 Desiro		EMU	100	160	5	45	Main Line Routes: London Waterloo – Poole / Weymouth London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour (Shared with Class 450s Weekdays and Sundays) Limited Outer Suburban Routes	2003–2004
450 Desiro		EMU	100	160	4	127	Main Line Routes: London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour (Shared with Class 444s weekdays and Sundays)/ Alton / Basingstoke / Poole (Occasionally) / Reading Southampton Central – Portsmouth & Southsea Brockenhurst – Lymington Pier (Weekend services) Outer Suburban Routes: London Waterloo – Windsor & Eton Riverside / Weybridge via Staines-upon-Thames / London Waterloo via Hounslow Ascot – Guildford Limited Express and Inner suburban services	2002–2006
Class 455		EMU	75	120	4	91	Inner Suburban Routes: London Waterloo – Shepperton / Hampton Court / Woking / London Waterloo via Hounslow /London Waterloo via Strawberry Hill / Dorking / Guildford via Oxshott or Epsom / Chessington South / Windsor & Eton Riverside	1982–1985 2004–2007 (refurbished)
Class 456		EMU	75	120	2	24	Currently used on suburban services in conjunction with services operated by Class 455 units to make 8 & 10 coach trains. Ascot – Guildford	1990–1991
458 Juniper		EMU	75	120	5	36	Outer Suburban Services: London Waterloo – Weybridge / Windsor & Eton Riverside via Staines upon Thames	2013–2016 (1998–2002 as Class 458/0) (2000–2001 as Class 460)
707 Desiro City		EMU	100	160	5	30	Outer Suburban Services: London Waterloo – Reading	2016-2017
Isle of Wight
Class 483		EMU	45	72.5	2	6	Ryde Pier Head – Shanklin	1938 1989 – 1992 (refurbished)

Future fleet

The class 455, 456, 458 and 707 fleets will be replaced by 90 Class 701 five and ten carriage sets built by Bombardier's Derby Litchurch Lane Works, for use on Reading, Windsor and south west London services by December 2020. Eighteen Class 442s will enter service after being overhauled.

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Carriages	Number	Routes operated	Enter Service
			mph	km/h
442 Wessex Electric		EMU	100	160	5	18	London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour	December 2018
701	File:South Western Railway Aventra.png	EMU	100	160	5	30	Reading, Windsor & South West London suburban	2019-2020
					10	60

Depots

Wimbledon

Main article: Wimbledon Traincare depot

Wimbledon Traincare depot is located between Wimbledon and Earlsfield stations, on the main line to Waterloo, next to the Wimbledon railway viaduct.

Bournemouth

Main article: Bournemouth Train & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot

Bournemouth depot is southwest of Bournemouth station, occupying the approach to the former Bournemouth West station. Until their withdrawal in February 2007, the depot was home to the Class 442 (5Wes) Wessex Electrics. The branch turns off at Branksome station where trains can be seen stopping at platform 2 and reversing into the depot.

Clapham

Clapham Junction depot provides stabling for the Desiro fleet.

Northam

Main article: Northam Carriage Servicing Depot

Northam depot was built by Siemens in 2002 as the home depot for the Desiro fleet as part of a 20-year maintenance contract. It is located south of St Denys station and is near Southampton Football Club's St Mary's Stadium.

Effingham

Main article: Effingham Junction Carriage Holding Sidings

Located next to Effingham Junction station, the depot is used for the berthing of MPVs (Multipurpose Vehicles). It has two pitted roads and a fuel point.

Salisbury

Main article: Salisbury TMD

Salisbury depot provides servicing for the South Western Railway diesel fleet.

Fratton

Main article: Fratton Traincare Depot

Fratton Traincare depot is in central Portsea Island, alongside Fratton station. It has a carriage washer and is the fuelling point for the 158s and 159s. The depot has a train shed with two pitted roads for maintenance of rolling stock. Class 444 and 450 units berth overnight. Stabling sidings and bay platforms at Portsmouth & Southsea station are co-ordinated from the depot.

Farnham

Main article: Wrecclesham Traincare Depot

Farnham depot, in Weydon Lane, was opened by the Southern Railway at the time of the electrification of the Portsmouth and Alton lines in 1937. It was refurbished for the introduction of modern units when slam-door trains were replaced circa 2005. At the same time, disused quarry and ballast dump sidings behind the carriage shed were removed and a number of outdoor sidings were laid for overnight storage and servicing of units.

External links

• Official website