South West Trains
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| Franchise(s): | South Western February 1996 – February 2003 February 2003 – 3. February 2007 4. February 2007 – February 2017 |
| Main region(s): | Greater London |
| Other region(s): | Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset |
| Fleet size: | 337 |
| Stations: | 213 (177 operated) |
| Parent company: | Stagecoach Group |
| Web site: | www.southwesttrains.co.uk |
South West Trains (SWT) is a Train Operating Company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South Western Railway company, hence the new company's name).
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[edit] SWT since privatisation
A wholly owned subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, SWT took over the operation of the old British Rail Southern Region's South Western division following the privatisation of British Rail in 1996. At the time they started changing the livery of its rolling stock to one with an orange, red, blue, and white stripe as this was an easy modification of the trains' existing British Rail Network SouthEast livery, but in recent years it has standardised on a trio of slight variations - mainly white for long-distance services, mainly blue for outer-suburban services, and a mainly red livery for metro services which is being applied to the Class 455 electric multiple units as they are refurbished. Since privatisation a number of initiatives have been undertaken including refurbishing stations, better access for disabled people, and better customer information displays at stations.
The franchise was renewed in February 2003, but for only four years instead of the 20-year franchise that the company expected.
Recent developments include the introduction of new rail services and the reopening of Chandler's Ford station in Hampshire. At the end of 2004 the company completely recast its timetable for the first time since 1967 in an attempt to bring service provision into line with changing demand and to take into account the different characteristics of modern rolling stock, with the intention that this would improve reliability and punctuality across the network.
A complete smoking ban on all SWT services was introduced from May 2004, partially in response to a fire caused by a cigarette being disposed of near a heater under a seat. In addition, there are restrictions on the carriage of bicycles: non-folding bicycles are banned from early morning and evening trains to and from London Waterloo, which has drawn criticism from integrated transport advocates and cyclists alike. The company justifies this policy by pointing out that many trains are extremely crowded during the rush hour, and that bicycles take up as much space as several people.
A new South Western franchise, including the Isle of Wight's Island Line in addition to the current SWT franchise area, started on 4 February 2007 and will last for ten years until 2017. The Department for Transport announced on 22 September 2006 that Stagecoach Group had been awarded the new franchise[1].
[edit] Train Services
The vast majority of SWT's services are on electrified lines using the 750 V DC third-rail system. There is a relatively small diesel fleet for services on the West of England line to Exeter and Bristol. SWT operates up to 1690 trains per day. Due to the high volume of trains and years of under-investment, delays were commonplace and often led to passenger angst. Initiatives to improve performance have borne fruit and services are generally reliable. These include the introduction of a completely re-structured timetable in December 2004 and the commissioning of a unified Network Rail and SWT control centre at Waterloo, which aims to improve communication between the different organisations responsible for the operation of the railway.
The hub of the network is London Waterloo station, SWT's London terminus. It connects London to the southern and western area of England; a major portion of the company's services is also concerned with suburban commuter lines in south-west London.
[edit] Main lines
There are four main lines operated by SWT:
- The South Western Main Line (SWML) to Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth;
- The Portsmouth Direct Line via Guildford: leaves the main line at Woking;
- The West of England Main Line to Exeter, Paignton, Plymouth, (and Penzance): leaves the main line at Basingstoke
- Wessex Main Line (part): Southampton via Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
[edit] Suburban services
It is from these three routes that suburban routes operate. Taken in order westwards from Waterloo, travelling down the SWML, they are:
- Waterloo to Reading line: from Clapham Junction, includes the Hounslow Loop Line, the Windsor branch; the Chertsey loop line from Virginia Water to Weybridge; and the Ascot to Ash Vale line via Camberley;
- Dorking line, from Raynes Park, including:
- the Chessington Branch;
- the Shepperton branch, from New Malden, including:
- the Strawberry Hill loop line;
- the New Guildford Line, to Guildford via Cobham from Surbiton. Travellers from Guildford to London can also travel via the mainline through Woking or via Camberley
- the Hampton Court branch
- the Alton branch, from Brookwood
[edit] Other services
- Southampton local lines: Totton via Chandler's Ford to Romsey
- Lymington branch Heritage Line
- Reading to Brighton
- Island Line (Isle of Wight)- Ryde Pier to Shanklin
[edit] Ticketing
[edit] Tickets
Single and Return fares are available on all South West Trains routes and should be purchased before boarding, except where a ticket or permit to travel machine is not available. In these cases tickets can be purchased from the onboard Guard or the Revenue Protection officers. Travelcards are available for journeys into London. They are valid on London buses, Tramlink, Docklands Light Railway, London Underground and national rail services within the London travelcard area.
Season tickets and travel cards are also available to cover multi day regular journeys. They are available in weekly, monthly and annual periods.
[edit] Oyster Pre-Pay, Travelcards and Season Tickets
Oyster card pay as you go is not currently available on any South West Trains route, however under the new franchise, smart card ticketing is expected to launch in 2009, this is due to having to install gates at stations to "touch in". Oyster card travelcards and season tickets are valid within the London travelcard area, this is the same as normal paper travelcards and season tickets.
[edit] Penalty Fares
SWT currently issue penalty fares for customers travelling by train without a valid ticket. This fare is either £20 or double the travelled fare, which ever is greater. This does not apply on the Hounslow loop or west of Salisbury due to the lack of ticket machines available. However, stations on the Hounslow loop are being fitted with ticket machines and penalty fares will apply from 1/4/07.
Revenue Protection officers employed by South West Trains travel the Network and are visible at stations to enforce the Penalty Fares and issue some tickets, aside from Station ticket barriers and permit to travel machines, CCTV is another method used to combat ticketless travel and prevent assaults on memers of staff and customers.
[edit] Platform Tickets
South West Trains issue platform tickets for non-travellers such as enthusiasts, they are free and are issued at most mainline stations such as Southampton Central and London Waterloo, and can by collected from the guard at the barriers. These can not be used for travelling, and if they are, a Penalty Fare may be issued as a result.
[edit] Megatrain
Stagecoach, SWT's parent company, have begun to sell seats on some off peak services under the Megatrain brand. This uses a similar low cost model to their Megabus service. Megatrain tickets are generally available on services that are expected to be quiet and empty. The tickets available are generally between Waterloo and other principal stations and ticket holders are assigned to a specific carriage in the train. The Megatrain services are also operated by Virgin Trains in some regions.
[edit] Rolling Stock Details
[edit] Greyhound Fleet
The final slam-door train on regular passenger services ran from London Waterloo to Bournemouth on 26 May 2005 with units 1396, 3536 and 1398. Some slam-door units have been preserved on heritage railways and three are retained by SWT for operations on the Lymington Branch Line and for special duties.
Services on the Lymington Branch Line are now operated as a "heritage" operation using one of two refurbished 3Cig units, nos. 1497 and 1498. The two units have been repainted into their original liveries, one in classic Southern green and the other in British Rail blue and grey, and were launched into service on 12 May 2005.
[edit] Wessex Electrics Fleet
The units were initially dedicated to the Weymouth line, but through the 1990s began to be diagrammed on the London Waterloo to Portsmouth direct line. Now the Class 444 units are fully commissioned, the Wessex Electrics are again be dedicated to the Weymouth line.
The Class 442 was one of the first types to make extensive use of plastics in construction, earning them the nickname among staff of "Plastic Pigs". When they were first introduced they were plagued by minor technical failures but subsequently became among the most reliable EMUs operating in the UK. One of the units, 2416, was withdrawn during August 2006 due to continuous air conditioning failure, the unit has since been reinstated and the air conditioning fixed.
The last official workings of these unit will take place on Saturday 13th January 2007, however, some may still be seen in service until their lease runs out when the new South Western franchise begins in February 2007. The Last operated SWT service was on the 4th February. This move also coincides with SWT reinstating all Class 458s for the Waterloo-Reading line. As a result the Class 444s will inherit the Waterloo - Weymouth route and the Class 450s will take over all Portsmouth Harbour services.
The Wessies are currently stored at Eastleigh (Hants), at the Alstom Works.
[edit] Juniper Fleet
Thirty of these four-carriage units were ordered by South West Trains in 1998, to create extra capacity and to replace some of the ageing 4Cep units, which at the time were on short-term lease. Deliveries of these units commenced in 1998.
The class suffered from major technical problems, so none of the older units were withdrawn from service. It was six more years, in 2004, before the full fleet was in service. In 2003 and 2004, reliability was so dire that although they were only six years old, South West Trains decided that the units should be replaced by 2005 with the newer Class 450 Desiro units [2]. Only a handful of units are required each day to help maintain services from Waterloo to Reading, and these were expected to cease after 31 July 2006 when the lease with the rolling stock company expired. An application by SWT to extend this by six months was declined as the class does not meet all the requirements of disability legislation.
However, since then it has been decided that on or before the start of the new franchise in February 2007, the class will be reinstated and take over all operations on the Waterloo to Reading line, indirectly covering the loss of the class 442s. They are being fitted with new larger destination screens that comply with the disability legislation, however, still fall foul in some other areas such as the height of the door open buttons. It is believed a small exemption is being made for this class in those respects.
[edit] Desiro Fleet
The introduction of Desiro rolling stock built by Siemens was to replace the old slam-door trains which were coming to the end of their useful lives, and had been posing health and safety problems. The introduction was delayed because of the additional power needs of this type of stock: Network Rail spent £1 billion upgrading the power supply to take account of this.
The new trains are generally proving popular with passengers, with on-board information systems and full air-conditioning. Their faster acceleration is counterbalanced by the need to stop longer at each station, since they have fewer doors (although the fact that the old trains' doors could be opened while in motion was considered a safety hazard). In addition, the Desiros have many more components: all are computerised and subject to the possibility of breakdowns. It is estimated that the slam-door trains could achieve 60,000 miles (96,000 km) without breakdown; the Desiros an estimated 13,000 miles (20,800 km) but this is gradually improving.
The Desiro stock comes in two variants - Class 450 units which have four 20m cars and are mainly used on outer suburban services and Class 444 units which have five 23m cars as well as intercity style door layouts and are used on longer-distance services to Weymouth.
[edit] Diesel Fleet
SWT currently has 29 three car Class 159s and 2 two car Class 158s. The remaining 4 two coach class 170s are awaiting thier fate at Salisbury traincare depot. Central trains is considering buying them for Cardiff- Nottingham Citylink services. To increase capacity and standardise their fleet, SWT are currently engaging in a stock reshuffle. 8 of the Class 170s will be transferred to TransPennine Express from late 2006, in exchange for 8 three car Class 158 units. These units are being converted at Wabtec Doncaster to Class 159/1s, 101-7 have arrived, and all are in service.
A further Class 170, 170392, which was originally built to Southern specification, but taken over by SWT soon after its construction, will be returning to Southern. All 170s (except 392) will be transferred for the following Transpennine Express 158s:
158737 158742 158802 158781 158743 158773 158814 158775 158779 158808
The current 159/0's are possibly going to go into refurbishment next year to look like the 'new' 159/1's. The new 159/1's also still have their old 158 engines. SWT have also announced that the Class 170/3 units have started to be transferred away from Salisbury to TransPennine Express, with the first already gone north being Nos. 170301-05/392. The units have be taken to Crofton depot for rebranding in TPX colours. The 'odd man out' of the SWT '170' fleet 170392 which has be transferred to Southern Railway in early 2007 and is awaiting reclassification as a Class 171.
The Transformation of 158/8's to 159/1's are:
159101 ex 158800 - in service 159102 ex 158803 - in service 159103 ex 158804 - in service 159104 ex 158805 - in service 159105 ex 158807 - in service 159106 ex 158809 - in service 159107 ex 158811 - arrived 159108 ex 158801
Also the two SWT 158s 786/789 have been loaned out to first ScotRail. Currently based at Edinburgh Haymarket DMUD.
[edit] Rolling Stock
[edit] Current fleet
- 8 new 159/1s, 101-8, exchanged with TransPennine Express, are currently being delivered.
- Class 170s will be transferred to TransPennine Express and Southern from late 2006.
- Used on the Lymington to Brockenhurst as part of the heritage line.
- 450111-127 have been delivered and are in service
- Fleet being refurbished; expected to be finished end of 2007.
- Currently being modified with larger destination displays.
[edit] Past fleet
| Class | Type | Built | Withdrawn | Notes |
| Class 411 (4Cep) | Electric multiple unit | 1956-1963 | December 2004 | |
| Class 412 (4Bep) | Electric multiple unit | 1956-1963 | March 2005 | |
| Class 421 (4Cig) | Electric multiple unit | 1964-1972 | May 2005 | Two retained for heritage operations on Lymington Branch Line, now 3Cig units |
| Class 423 (4Vep) | Electric multiple unit | 1967-1974 | May 2005 | One retained for railtour work, but now for disposal to a suitable heritage railway |
| Class 442 (5Wes) Wessex Electric | Electric multiple unit | 1988-1989 | February 2007 | Currently Stored at Alstoms Eastleigh Works |
[edit] Preserved SWT trains
Of the Classes 411, 412, 421 and 423 slam-door trains, several former SWT units have been preserved.
- Class 411, no. 1198 at Dartmoor Railway
- Class 412, nos. 2311 and 2315 at Eden Valley Railway
- Class 412, no. 2325 at East Kent Railway
- Class 421, nos. 1392 and 1499 at Dean Forest Railway
- Class 421, no. 1393 at Great Central Railway
- Class 421, no. 1399 at Dartmoor Railway
- Class 423, no. 3417 likely to be preserved
In contrast, just two former Southern units have been preserved - one Class 421 and one Class 423. No complete units from South Eastern Trains have been saved.
[edit] Wimbledon Traincare depot
Wimbledon Traincare depot is one of Europe's most advanced train servicing complexes. It is located between Wimbledon and Earlsfield stations, on the main line to Waterloo, and is coincidentally situated next to South West Trains' other iconic landmark, the Wimbledon Train Viaduct.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Network SouthEast As part of British Rail |
Operator of South Western franchise 1996-2007 |
Succeeded by South West Trains South Western franchise |
| Preceded by South West Trains South Western franchise ---- Island Line Island Line francise |
Operator of South Western franchise 2007-present |
Succeeded by N/A |
| Domestic: | Arriva Trains Wales - c2c - Central Trains1 - Chiltern Railways - First Capital Connect First Great Western - First ScotRail - Grand Central2 - GNER - Heathrow Connect Hull Trains - Island Line3 - Merseyrail - Midland Mainline1 - Northern Rail Northern Ireland Railways4 - 'one' - Silverlink1 - Southeastern - Southern South West Trains - TransPennine Express - Virgin Trains (VWC - VXC1) |
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| International: | Enterprise4 - Eurostar |
| Airport Link: | Gatwick Express - Heathrow Express - Stansted Express5 |
| Sleeper: | Caledonian Sleeper6 - Night Riviera7 |
| 1 Ends November 2007 - 2 Starts 20 May 2007 - 3 Operated by South West Trains 4 Operated on the Irish railway network - 5 Operated by 'one' - 6 Operated by First ScotRail 7 Operated by First Great Western |
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| Future passenger train operators and franchises in Great Britain | |
|---|---|
| New Franchises: | Cross Country1 - East Midlands1 - InterCity East Coast - London Overground1 West Midlands1 |
| Proposed open-access operators: |
Glasgow Trains2 - Grand Union2 - Humber & City2 - Wrexham & Shropshire3 |
| 1 Starts November 2007 - 2 Proposed - 3 Awaiting Approval | |
