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Reading and Windsor via Staines

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High level narrative

We know from our engagement to date that customers would like to see additional services on the line between Waterloo and Reading, and we are looking at how we can achieve this. The introduction of extra services is likely to be phased, prioritising additions that bring the greatest benefit without impacting overall reliability. We want to understand what is most important to you—whether that is additional all-stop services at stations beyond Egham or faster journey times to destinations like Bracknell and Reading. We are also committed to working with local communities to manage the impact of increased train frequency on local level crossings.

Incremental changes 

We’ve heard our customers and stakeholders and we know your top priority is a reliable service. So we’re bringing forward improvements to the timetable as quickly as possible as shown in the table below:

Consultation on our later changes

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Service frequency

Would you prefer an additional hourly service throughout the day (risk to performance) vs more targeted additions at key times (more reliable)?

Option A

An additional hourly service throughout the day

More regular services, giving you more choice and flexibility.

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Option B

Extra services at key times

Additional trains when demand is highest, which is expected to be more reliable.

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Key times

When would you most value additional services on this line of route?

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AM Peak

Additional commuter services between 0630 and 0930

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Through the day

1000-1600: Off-peak services, primarily serving leisure travel through the day

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PM Peak

Additional commuter services between 1630 and 1930

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Evening Services

Additional services after the evening peak, supporting travel after 1930

Additional services

Where should additional services stop north of Southampton Central (recognising trade off between journey time and station calls)? (Airport Parkway, Winchester, Basingstoke, Woking, other)

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Explore the 6 timetable options

Review our proposed options for the West of England line and tell us which changes matter most to your journey.

  • Limited opportunity for us to significantly improve performance

    West of England_Option 1 - Do Nothing.png
    How does the current timetable lead to challenges with performance?

    Single line sections on this route mean services have to cross in passing loops. If a train in one direction is delayed this will delay services in the opposite direction. There is limited opportunity for delays to be recovered and therefore spiral thoughout the day.

     

    Also interaction with other SWR and other operator services travelling long distances. Delays can spread.

  • 1 or 2 off-peak hour return journey removals

    West of England_Option 2 – Yeovil to Exeter “Firebreak”.png
    Summary

    Removal of 1 or 2 services between Yeovil and Exeter after the AM peak. The service level remains predominantly the same for most of the day, but with a gap in service in the late morning.

    Reasoning

    Removing the services provides a “firebreak” during the day where services would run over the single line sections on this route. This gives time for any delays that have arisen during the morning peak to be recovered and gives an opportunity for punctuality to be “reset” for the rest of the day.

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    This is not a total fix – the fundamental issues leading to performance challenges will remain. This just give a bit of a chance to catch up.

  • Tisbury, Templecombe, Crewkerne, Cranbrook - remove 2 of the 4 in each hour

    West of England_Option 3 – Autumn plan skip stop.png
    Summary

    Calls at Tisbury, Templecombe, Crewkerne and Cranbrook reduced to 2hrly all day. Essentially running the plan that is operated in Autumn for leaf-fall all year round.

    Reasoning

    Removing some calls in the schedule each hour gives additional time available in the timetable to help recover when there is late running and try and prevent small late running spiralling into larger delays that can impact throughout the day and knock onto other parts of the network.

  • Retaining current frequencies/calling patterns but extending JTs and impact on connections – this will be detailed in the materials

    West of England_Option 4 – 30min clockface swap.png
    Summary

    No change in service frequency, but timings of station calls rotated around by 30mins. Including Woking, Overton, Whitchurch and Grateley.

    Reasoning

    The Exeter service is currently planned very closely to other services between London and Salisbury, which means that delays are passed onto this service group from others, some other operators which have travelled a long distance. The London – Exeter service often arrives late and the passes delay onto the single line where it cannot recover.

     

    The schedule in the other half of the hour (currently terminating at Salisbury) has fewer interactions with other services, and therefore is more reliable. This proposal extends the current Salisbury train to 

     

    Exeter and terminates the current Exeter train at Salisbury.

    This option seeks to improve the punctuality of the WoE services when travelling between London and Salisbury, helping trains arrive on time for the single line sections. This does not however, remove any of the interaction on the single line sections which is the fundamental problem with the service.

  • London–Exeter frequency reduced from hourly to every 90 minutes, with longer journey times for added resilience.

    West of England_Option 5 - 90min frequency.png
    Summary

    A service will operate between London and Exeter every 90 minutes instead of every hour. No changes to frequency or calling patterns between London and Salisbury.

     

    E.g. Waterloo departures to Exeter: 07:10, 08:50, 10:20, 11:50, 13:20; Waterloo arrivals from Exeter: 11:49, 13:17, 14:49, 16:15, 17:49.

     

    Journey times are longer due to additional time added into the schedules at stations to support resilience.

     

    Potentially (PLANNING TBC) service level could be maintained under SMD. SMD journeys would be slower, but no reduction would be required.

    Reasoning

    Delivers a timetable that the infrastructure is more capable of delivering. Crossings all planned in the longest loops for flexibility / performance, more time planned between moves onto single line sections

    • Current timetable crosses x4 per journey. In this crosses x2.

    • Additional time added into station calls to help reduce impact of delays

  • 2 hourly WAT-EXD through service and 2 hourly WAT-Gillingham with 2 hourly Yeovil-Exeter St Davids and 2 hourly Axminster-Exeter Central

    West of England_Option 6 – 2hrly to Exeter with Shuttle.png
    Summary

    • 1tph London – Salisbury

    • 2hrly London – Exeter

    • 2hrly London – Gillingham

    • Combined with 2hrly Yeovil Junction – Exeter St Davids

    • 2hrly Axminster – Exeter Central

    • No change in service Salisbury – London

    • Stations between Yeovil Junction and Gillingham reduce to 2hrly service

    • But 3 services per 2hrs Axminster – Exeter Central

    Reasoning

    Gap in service between Gillingham and Yeovil Junction leaves a natural “firebreak” allowing the service to better recover delays.

     

    Crossing moves planned at the longest loops / double track sections, time planned between crossings increased and additional time added at stations to allow some delays to be recovered.

     

    1L services don’t cross each other, only shuttle. So delays not passed on to other services travelling to London

Do you have any other comments for this line of route?

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