South Western Railway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
South Western Railway

A South Western Railway Class 444 near Southampton Airport Parkway in April 2021
Overview
Franchise(s)	South Western 20 August 2017 – 28 May 2025
Main region(s)	Greater London South East England South West England
Fleet size	Class 158 Express Sprinter Class 159 South Western Turbo Class 444 Desiro Class 450 Desiro Class 455 Class 458 Juniper Class 484 D-Train Class 701 Arterio Class 707 Desiro City
Parent company	FirstGroup (70%) MTR Corporation (30%)
Reporting mark	SW
Predecessor	South West Trains

South Western Railway (SWR) is a British company that runs trains. It is owned by FirstGroup (70%) and MTR Corporation (30%). SWR operates the South Western franchise, which means it has the right to run train services in a specific area.

SWR started running trains on 20 August 2017. It took over from the previous company, South West Trains. SWR runs trains from London Waterloo to areas in south west London. It also provides services in counties like Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire. A special part of SWR, called Island Line, operates trains on the Isle of Wight.

Over time, SWR has updated its trains. They have improved older trains and bought new ones. For example, new Class 701 trains are replacing older models. On the Island Line, the Class 483 trains were replaced by the newer Class 484 trains in 2021.

In 2018, there were some concerns about SWR's performance. The government asked for a review of their services. From December 2019 to January 2020, there were train staff strikes. More strikes happened in 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SWR had to run fewer trains because fewer people were traveling. In 2020, SWR's original contract was changed to a shorter management agreement, which has been extended until May 2025.

How South Western Railway Started

In July 2015, the government decided not to extend the contract with the old train company, South West Trains. Instead, they announced that a new company would be chosen to run the South Western train services.

In February 2016, two companies, FirstGroup and Stagecoach, were chosen to bid for the contract. In June 2016, MTR Corporation joined with FirstGroup. They formed a team, with MTR owning 30% of the new company.

In March 2017, the government announced that FirstGroup and MTR had won the contract. They would start running trains on 20 August 2017. The contract was planned to last until August 2024, with a chance to extend it.

There were some checks to make sure the new company would not have too much control over train services. FirstGroup also ran trains in other nearby areas. To solve this, FirstGroup and MTR agreed to limit how much they could charge for some train tickets.

By April 2018, people were worried about SWR's train services. There were more delays and cancellations. The government asked for a review of SWR and Network Rail (the company that manages the tracks).

Between December 2019 and January 2020, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) held strikes for 27 days. These strikes were about new trains that might not need a guard on board.

In January 2020, SWR talked with the government about the future of their contract. This was because the company had lost a lot of money.

By mid-2020, SWR ran much fewer trains due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From June 2020, passengers and staff had to wear face coverings on trains in England.

In December 2020, the old contract system for SWR was ended. The company was given a new, shorter contract to manage the services. This contract was extended in February 2023 until May 2025.

SWR has also been affected by recent national railway strikes in the UK. Their staff have taken part in these strikes over pay and working conditions. SWR can still run a small number of trains on strike days.

Where South Western Railway Goes

South Western Railway is the main train company for western Surrey, Hampshire, and Dorset. It also serves London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and Devon.

Most SWR trains run on electric lines. These lines use a special system called the third-rail system. SWR also has diesel trains for areas without electric lines. These diesel trains run to places like Salisbury and Exeter. SWR operates almost 1,700 train services every day.

From London Waterloo, SWR's main station in London, long-distance trains go to southern England. These include major towns like Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole, and Weymouth. There are also trains to Reading and Exeter. However, other companies run the fastest trains to Reading and Exeter from London. Most of SWR's passengers are on shorter trips in and around London and nearby counties.

For most trains, non-folding bicycles are not allowed during busy times. This rule helps make sure there is enough space for all passengers.

Main Train Routes

SWR runs regular services on four main routes:

• The South West Main Line (SWML) connects London (Waterloo station) to Weymouth. This route goes through big towns like Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole, and Dorchester. SWR runs trains along the whole line. Most trains start or end at London Waterloo. Some trains go to Portsmouth by branching off the SWML at Eastleigh.
• The Portsmouth Direct line (PDL) leaves the SWML at Woking and goes to Portsmouth. It passes through Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield, and Havant. SWR runs all passenger trains on this route.
• The West of England line (WEL) is the only main route that is not fully electric. It leaves the SWML at Basingstoke and goes to Exeter. It passes through Andover, Salisbury, Gillingham, and Yeovil. SWR is the only company on this line. Most trains run between London and Salisbury or Exeter St Davids.
• The Alton line leaves the SWML at Brookwood (near Woking) and goes to Alton. It passes through Aldershot and Farnham. This is the shortest main route. Trains usually run between London and Alton.

In total, 14 main trains leave London Waterloo every hour during quieter times. This number increases during busy hours. Most main services use Class 444 or Class 450 electric trains. However, the West of England Main Line always uses Class 158 or Class 159 diesel trains because it is not electric.

Local and Suburban Services

South Western Railway also runs many local "Metro" services in and around London. These all run between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. From there, they split into two main paths: one via Putney and one via Wimbledon. All trains on these local routes are electric. They use Class 450, Class 455, Class 458, and Class 707 trains.

Via Putney

The main route through Putney is called the Waterloo to Reading Line. It runs between London and Reading. It passes through towns like Staines-upon-Thames, Ascot, and Bracknell.

• The Hounslow Loop Line is a branch that goes through Brentford.
• The Kingston Loop Line goes through Kingston.
• There are also branches to Shepperton, Windsor, Chertsey, and Aldershot.

12 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Putney during quieter times. This number goes up during busy hours.

Via Wimbledon

The main route through Wimbledon uses the slower tracks of the South West Main Line. Suburban trains run along this line between London and Woking.

• The Mole Valley Line goes through Epsom to Leatherhead. From Leatherhead, it splits to Guildford or Dorking.
• The Chessington Branch Line goes to Chessington.
• The Kingston Loop Line also goes through Kingston.
• The Shepperton Branch Line goes to Shepperton.
• The Hampton Court Branch Line goes directly to Hampton Court.
• The New Guildford Line goes to Guildford via Claygate.

16 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Wimbledon during quieter times. This number increases during busy hours.

Other Services

Some SWR routes do not start or end at London Waterloo:

• The Ascot to Guildford Line runs between Ascot and Guildford.
• The western part of the West Coastway Line runs between Portsmouth and Southampton.
• The Eastleigh to Romsey Line runs between Romsey and Eastleigh.
• The Wessex Main Line runs between Salisbury and Southampton.
• The Lymington Branch Line runs between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier.
• The Island Line on the Isle of Wight runs between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin. These services use special Class 484 trains.

Train Service Details

You can find maps and timetables on the South Western Railway website. Here are some of their routes and how often trains run (tph means trains per hour) during off-peak times, Monday to Friday:

Future Plans for Services

When SWR started, they promised several improvements:

• Updated and improved trains.
• Faster journeys to London from places like Southampton, Bournemouth, Exeter, and Weymouth.
• Free Wi-Fi at all stations and on mainland trains.
• More trains on weekdays and Saturdays between Portsmouth and Southampton.
• Direct hourly trains from Weymouth to Portsmouth by 2019.
• More trains on weekdays and Saturdays between Portsmouth and London Waterloo.
• More services on Sundays.
• Improvements to stations, including Southampton Central.
• A new mobile app to show how many seats are available on trains.

Since May 2019, there is also an hourly Sunday train service between Reading and Salisbury via Basingstoke.

In August 2021, SWR announced "assisted boarding points" at all their stations. These points help disabled or elderly passengers get on trains with only ten minutes' notice. This new system uses QR codes to make it easier to ask for help.

South Western Railway's Trains

South Western Railway uses several types of trains. They took over many trains from South West Trains, including Classes 158, 159, 444, 450, 455, 456, 458, and 707. They also brought back some Class 442 trains for a while. The Class 484 trains started running on the Island Line in November 2021.

The Class 442 trains were removed from service in March 2020 and will not be used again. SWR decided to keep 28 Class 458 trains. They will be updated and changed to four carriages. These were planned for the Portsmouth Direct Line, but that plan has now been dropped.

The older Class 455, Class 456, and Class 707 trains will be replaced by new Class 701 trains. These new trains are being built by Bombardier. By June 2023, 42 of the 90 new trains had been received. These trains started carrying passengers in January 2024.

Trains Used Now

Train Type	Class	Image	Kind of Train	Top Speed		How Many	Carriages	Where They Run	When Built
				mph	km/h
South Western Railway
Sprinter	158 Express Sprinter	Class 158 Express Sprinter train	DMU	90	145	8	2	London Waterloo – Exeter St Davids Romsey – Salisbury via Southampton Central	1989–1992
	159 South Western Turbo	Class 159 South Western Turbo train				29	3	West of England, Heart of Wessex and Wessex Main Lines: London Waterloo – Exeter St Davids	159/0: 1992–1993 159/1: converted 2006–2007
Siemens Desiro	444	Class 444 train	EMU	100	160	45	5	London Waterloo – Weymouth and Poole London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour (shared with Class 450s) London Waterloo – Alton (shared with Class 450s) London Waterloo – Basingstoke (shared with Class 450s)	2003–2004
	450	Class 450 train				127	4	London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour, Alton, Basingstoke or Reading Southampton Central – Portsmouth & Southsea Brockenhurst – Lymington Pier Winchester – Bournemouth Outer suburban routes: London Waterloo – Windsor & Eton Riverside, Weybridge via Staines London Waterloo via Hounslow Ascot – Guildford Some express and inner suburban services	2002–2006
BR Second Generation (Mark 3)	455	Class 455 train		75	120	83	4	Inner suburban routes: London Waterloo – Shepperton, Hampton Court, Woking London Waterloo via Hounslow or Strawberry Hill London Waterloo – Dorking, Guildford via Oxshott or Epsom, Chessington South, or Windsor & Eton Riverside	1982–1985
Alstom Coradia Juniper	458	Class 458 train				34	5	Outer suburban services: London Waterloo – Weybridge, Teddington or Windsor & Eton Riverside, Inner suburban services (Occasionally)	2013–2016 (1998–2002 as 458/0) (2000–2001 as 460)
Alstom Aventra	701 Aventra (Arterio)	Class 701 Aventra train		100	160	60	5	Reading, Windsor and south west London suburban services	2019–2024
Siemens Desiro	707 Desiro City	Class 707 Desiro City train				2	5	Inner suburban services: London Waterloo – Shepperton via Kingston London Waterloo – Hampton Court London Waterloo – Guildford via Epsom	2015–2018
Island Line
Vivarail D-Train	484	Class 484 train	EMU	60	100	5	2	Island Line: Ryde Pier Head – Shanklin	1978–1981 (as D78 Stock) Converted 2020–2021

Trains Used in the Past

South Western Railway used to operate these train types:

• Class 483: These trains were removed from service on 3 January 2021. They had been running for 82 years, including their time with London Transport.
• Class 442: These trains were permanently removed in March 2020.
• Class 456: These trains were removed from service on 17 January 2022.

Train Type	Class	Image	Kind of Train	Top Speed		Carriages	How Many	Where They Ran	When Built	When Removed	Notes
				mph	km/h
1938 tube stock	483	Class 483 train	EMU	45	72	2	6	Island Line	1938	2020–2021	Replaced by Class 484
BR Second Generation (Mark 3)	442 Wessex Electrics	Class 442 Wessex Electrics train		100	160	5	18	London Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour	1987–1989	2020	Replaced by Class 444
	455	Class 455 train		75	120	4	9	Inner suburban routes: London Waterloo – Shepperton, Hampton Court, Woking London Waterloo via Hounslow or Strawberry Hill London Waterloo – Dorking, Guildford via Oxshott or Epsom, Chessington South, or Windsor & Eton Riverside	1982–1985	2022	Scrapped
	456	Class 456 train				2	24	Inner suburban services in conjunction with services operated by Class 455 units to make 10 coach trains.	1990–1991		Scrapped

Train Depots

South Western Railway has nine train depots and storage areas. These are located across London and south west England. They are used to service and maintain the trains.

Bournemouth Depot

Bournemouth depot is located southwest of Bournemouth station. It was home to the Class 442 trains before they were removed from service.

Farnham Depot

Farnham Traincare Depot was opened in 1937. It was updated around 2005 to handle modern trains. It has outdoor areas for storing and servicing trains overnight.

Feltham Depot

Feltham depot was finished in 2021. It is used to store the new Class 701 trains.

Fratton Depot

Fratton Traincare Depot is next to Fratton station. It has a train washing machine and is where diesel trains (Class 158s and 159s) get fuel. It also has a shed for train maintenance. Class 444 and 450 trains stay here overnight.

Northam Depot

Northam Traincare Facility was built in 2002 by Siemens. It is the main depot for the Desiro trains. It is located south of St Denys station.

Ryde Depot

Ryde Traincare Depot is next to Ryde St John's Road on the Isle of Wight. It used to service the old Class 483 trains. Now, it has been updated to service the new Class 484 trains.

Salisbury Depot

Salisbury depot services South Western Railway's diesel trains.

Strawberry Hill Depot

Strawberry Hill train maintenance depot was built in 1897. It is located in south west London, near Strawberry Hill railway station.

Wimbledon Depot

Wimbledon Traincare Depot is located between Wimbledon and Earlsfield stations. It is currently home to the Class 455, 456, 458/5, and 707 trains. Other SWR trains also stay here overnight.