South Western Railway
South Western Railway Limited, trading as South Western Railway, is a British state-owned train operating company that operates commuter services from its Central London terminus at to south west London, suburban services in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and Dorset, as well as regional services in Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire. Under the Island Line brand, it operates services on the Isle of Wight.
SWR took over the services from the franchise operator of the same name owned by FirstGroup and MTR Corporation on 25 May 2025.
History
In the lead up to the 2024 United Kingdom general election, the Labour Party of Keir Starmer committed itself to bring the passenger operations of the British rail network back under state ownership. Following its election win, the Labour government introduced the Passenger Railway Services Act 2024, which received royal assent in November 2024.In December 2024, it was announced that the South Western Railway National Rail Contract operated by FirstGroup and MTR Corporation would not be renewed when it expired. Consequently, DfT Operator took over operation of the services on 25 May 2025.
Services
South Western Railway is the main operator for western Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, and also serves Greater London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon.Most SWR services run on electrified lines using the 750VDC third rail system. There is a diesel fleet for services on the West of England line to Salisbury and Exeter, using the unelectrified track beyond Worting Junction just west of Basingstoke, and for services from Salisbury to Southampton via Romsey which also serve Eastleigh.
From, 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 and Exeter, but these are not the principal fast services from London to those cities, which are operated from by Great Western Railway. The majority of SWR's 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.
Mainline services
SWR operates regular services on four mainline routes:- The South West Main Line runs between London Waterloo and the town of Weymouth; the route passes through several large towns and cities, including Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Dorchester. South Western Railway operates trains along the entire length of the line. Almost all trains operated by the company start from or terminate at Waterloo with the exception of a Winchester – Bournemouth / Poole stopping service; these include semi-fast services to/from Southampton and Poole, and express services to/from Weymouth. There are also trains to and from Portsmouth, which branch off the SWML at Eastleigh, then proceed via the Eastleigh to Fareham and West Coastway lines to Portsmouth Harbour station.
- The Portsmouth Direct line branches off the SWML at Woking and runs to Portsmouth via Guildford, Haslemere, Petersfield and Havant. South Western Railway operates all passenger trains on this route; these include fast and semi-fast services between London and Portsmouth, and semi-fast services as far as Haslemere.
- The West of England line is the only mainline route that is not fully electrified. It leaves the SWML at Basingstoke and runs to Exeter via Andover, Salisbury, Gillingham and Yeovil. South Western Railway is the only operator on the line, with most services running between London and either Salisbury or Exeter St Davids. Some peak-time services terminate at various other destinations on the line, including Gillingham and Yeovil Pen Mill.
- The Alton line leaves the SWML at and runs to Alton via Aldershot and Farnham. It is the shortest of the four mainline routes and as such it is sometimes considered an outer suburban route instead. Services usually run the full length of the line between London and Alton, though some terminate at Farnham.
Metro and suburban services
South Western Railway also operates many suburban "Metro" services in and around London. These run between Waterloo and, where they split into two routes: via Putney and via Wimbledon. All services on the suburban part of the network are operated by,, and electric multiple units.Via Putney
The main route via Putney is known as the Waterloo to Reading Line. It runs between London and Reading and passes through towns such as Staines-upon-Thames, Ascot and Bracknell. It operates as a fast service as far as, with Reading trains only calling at,, and. Branch lines on this route include:- The Hounslow Loop Line, which leaves the main line at, runs via and rejoins the line between and . Most services on the branch run either between London and Weybridge, or run in a loop from Waterloo to Waterloo via Brentford, Whitton and Richmond.
- The Kingston Loop Line, which branches off at Twickenham, runs via Kingston and joins the South West Main Line at New Malden. Most services on this line run in an anticlockwise loop, from Waterloo to Waterloo, via Putney, Strawberry Hill, Kingston and Wimbledon.
- * There is also a branch line to Shepperton, however, this is only served by Putney trains at peak times.
- The Staines to Windsor Line, which branches off the main line at Staines-upon-Thames and runs to Windsor & Eton Riverside station. Most services run semi-fast between London and Windsor.
- The Chertsey Branch Line, which leaves the main line at Virginia Water and runs to Weybridge. Most services on the line run between London and Weybridge via the Hounslow Loop Line; a few services are extended beyond Weybridge, to and from Woking.
- The Ascot to Guildford Line, which is only served by through trains at peak times; these services run between London and Aldershot.
Via Wimbledon
The main route via Wimbledon uses the slow tracks of the quadruple-track South West Main Line. Suburban trains run along the mainline between London and Woking. Branch lines on this route include:- The Mole Valley Line, which branches off the main line at Raynes Park and runs via Epsom to Leatherhead, where it splits into two lines: one to Guildford, and one to Horsham via Dorking. SWR runs regular services to both Guildford and Dorking; the section between Dorking and Horsham is operated by Southern.
- * The Chessington Branch Line leaves the Mole Valley Line at Motspur Park and runs to Chessington.
- The Kingston Loop Line, which leaves the SWML at New Malden, runs via Kingston and joins the Waterloo to Reading line at. Most services on this line run in a clockwise loop, from Waterloo to Waterloo, via Wimbledon, Kingston, Strawberry Hill and Putney.
- * The Shepperton Branch Line, which branches off the Kingston Loop Line at Teddington. Most services on the branch line run between Waterloo and Shepperton via Wimbledon.
- The Hampton Court Branch Line, which leaves the main line at Surbiton and runs directly to Hampton Court.
- The New Guildford Line, which also branches off at Surbiton, running to Guildford via Claygate. The line joins the Guildford branch of the Mole Valley Line at Effingham Junction.
Other services
Routes that do not start or terminate at London Waterloo include:- The Ascot to Guildford Line, which runs between Ascot and Guildford via Aldershot. Most services on the line run only between Ascot and Guildford, with no extension in either direction; however, some peak-time services run between London and Farnham via Ascot. The shuttle services are usually operated by units.
- The western section of the West Coastway Line between Portsmouth and Southampton. Class 450 units are usually in operation on this route.
- The Eastleigh–Romsey line between Romsey and Eastleigh. Services on the line are extended beyond Eastleigh to and from Salisbury via Southampton Central and Romsey, in effect calling at Romsey twice. These services are operated by units.
- The Wessex Main Line between Salisbury and Southampton. Services are extended beyond Southampton via the Eastleigh to Romsey Line, as described above.
- The Lymington Branch Line between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier runs every 30 minutes between these two stations. These services are operated by a single unit.
- The Island Line on the Isle of Wight, between and Shanklin. These services are operated by units, converted from London Underground D78 Stock.
Service table