FAQs
South Western Railway (SWR) is a publicly owned train operating company, part of DfT Operator Ltd (DfTO), the Government’s rail owning group.
We operate services across the south and west of England, running around 1,600 services every weekday, serving more than 200 stations and carrying around 140 million customers each year. Our focus is on delivering a reliable, high-quality railway that supports the communities we serve.
The government is changing the way the railway is managed. Previously, trains were run by private operators with the infrastructure maintained by the government. The government is now bringing the management of track and train together, under public ownership, keeping the customer at the absolute centre.
We are at the beginning of a journey, starting by bringing South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex together as one integrated team to work jointly on day-to-day operations as well as projects like the timetable refresh.
We are seeking views on a proposed refresh of our entire network timetable. This is a significant process that will reshape every service across the SWR network.
The aim is to create a timetable that better reflects how people travel today, taking into account changing travel patterns, new trains and how railway infrastructure is managed.
Because the changes are wide-ranging, it is important that customers, communities and stakeholders have the opportunity to understand the proposals and help shape the timetable.
Travel habits have changed considerably in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. Fewer people commute five days a week, while leisure and weekend travel has grown.
While we make improvements to the timetable on a regular basis, this full refresh is a key moment to take advantage of the opportunity presented by a number of changes to rail travel on our network.
The patterns of office-based working have changed, fundamentally reshaping commuter patterns. Leisure travel has grown. Our new timetable will make the best use of our new Arterio trains, unlocking capacity across the network through increased seating and carriage space, helping to reduce delays and cancellations. To support the introduction of these new trains and the refreshed timetable, we are also in the process of recruiting additional drivers.
Once the full refreshed timetable is launched, it won’t be the end. We will continue making updates on a regular basis to improve services.
There are several ways to take part, and we encourage as many people as possible to get involved.
You can submit feedback through this website, email us at info@southwesterntimetable.com, contact us by phone (0345 6000 650) or post (Freepost: SWR CUSTOMER RELATIONS).
We will also be holding a series of in-person events at stations in June 2026, followed by a formal full public consultation in Autumn 2026. These events provide an opportunity to speak directly with our team and share your views. You can find out further information about these events at the early engagement station events page on this website.
All feedback, regardless of how it is submitted, is recorded and considered equally as part of the timetable development process.
We want the consultation to be accessible to everyone.
In addition to online and email responses, you can speak to us in person at one of our station events or get in touch by phone (0345 6000 650) or post (Freepost: SWR CUSTOMER RELATIONS). Every response is treated equally, regardless of how it is received.
If you would like updates, you can also choose to provide your contact details and we will keep you informed as the consultation progresses.
We’re refreshing the timetable because we want to make the best use of our network, infrastructure and people, and to deliver the best possible service for the communities we serve.
When approaching a project on this scale, every decision we make will reflect our priorities of providing a better service for customers, improving performance and resilience, and delivering economic value to the taxpayer.
This will mean some technical decisions will need to be balanced, for example between faster journeys from one station and more stops at another. At every stage, our top priority is our customers and that’s why performance is vital to us – making sure the service is reliable and operates as planned so customers and stakeholders alike can rely on it.
Your feedback will help us understand what matters most to customers as we make these choices.
Accessibility has been built into the consultation from the outset.
Feedback can be provided online, by email, over the phone, in writing or in person at events. We are also providing information in a range of formats, both digitally and at stations.
For in-person events, accessibility information will be available in advance so that customers can plan their visit and take part in a way that works for them.
Our consultation is being delivered in two stages.
The current phase focuses on early engagement, where we are gathering initial views through online feedback, focus groups and in-person events. This helps us shape the first draft of the timetable.
The second phase will be a formal public consultation in Autumn 2026, where detailed proposals will be shared and further feedback invited before any final decisions are made.
A public consultation is a structured process that gives people the opportunity to review proposals and share their views before decisions are finalised.
For the timetable, this means inviting feedback from customers, communities, businesses and other stakeholders on what works well and what could be improved.
This input will play an important role in refining the plans and ensuring the final timetable reflects a broad range of needs and priorities.
Information about the timetable refresh will be available on our consultation collateral website page in due course and will also be shared at in-person events.
Further materials will be added as the consultation progresses.
All feedback submitted during the consultation is recorded, reviewed and considered equally.
This analysis will help us to understand the key issues, concerns and suggestions for the new timetable.
Customers are at the heart of our network, and listening to their feedback, helping to shape the timetable, is essential to creating a service that works best for the network as a whole.
You can stay informed by signing up for updates on the home page, or by contacting us directly by email or phone.
We will also share updates through our social media platforms as the process progresses, including details of events and key milestones.
We will continue to provide updates throughout this process so that customers and stakeholders know what to expect and when.
After this full refreshed timetable is launched, change and improvement won’t end there. We’ll continue to make small changes, usually twice a year, to continuously improve services and reliability for customers.