South Western Railway Industrial Action in May and June
Published: 26 May 2023
South Western Railway outlines services for industrial action in May and June
We have released a press release today confirming the service we will be able to operate during upcoming industrial action on three dates next week. You can find a copy of this release below.
An overview of service levels on a day-by-day basis can be found on our website at www.southwesternrailway.com/strike, with links through to our live journey planner page providing maps of operating routes for the various days.
If you have any questions about this, please do let me know.
You have received this email as one of the stakeholders on our network, so that we can provide information about upcoming strike action. Our stakeholder database has been updated following the local elections at the start of May. If you do not want to receive these emails in the future, or if there is someone else at your organisation who you would want to receive them instead of (or as well as) you, please let me know by reply.
Kind regards,
Matt
South Western Railway outlines strike day services in May and June (link to SWR website)
- Nationwide strike action will take place on Wednesday 31 May, Friday 2 June and Saturday 3 June
- On Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June, a reduced service will operate in some areas, with customers advised to check before they travel
- On Friday 2 June, a significantly reduced service will operate on a limited number of lines, with customers advised to only travel if absolutely necessary
- The latest information will be available at www.southwesternrailway.com/strike
SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) has outlined its services during upcoming strike action on Wednesday 31 May, Friday 2 June and Saturday 3 June.
On Wednesday 31 May, a nationwide strike by ASLEF union members will affect SWR’s network-wide depot drivers, who bring trains in and out of service, as well as drivers on the Island Line.
Contingency timetables are still to be confirmed however SWR can announce the following service changes:
- There will be a reduced service between London Waterloo and Chessington South; Dorking; Hampton Court; London Waterloo via Hounslow; London Waterloo via Kingston; Reading; Shepperton; Twickenham; Weybridge; and Windsor & Eton Riverside
- A shuttle service will operate between Basingstoke and Exeter St Davids, with customers travelling between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo required to change at Basingstoke
- A reduced service will operate in the Romsey area
- There will be no service on the Island Line
Customers are advised to check their journeys before they travel. Journey planners for Wednesday 31 May will be up to date on Saturday 27 May.
On Friday 2 June, a nationwide strike by RMT union members will severely reduce the number of trains SWR can run and the hours in which they can operate.
A significantly reduced service will operate between 0700 and 1900 only and large parts of the network will be closed. There will be no train services outside of these times.
The following services will operate:
- London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside via Hounslow (2tph)
- London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside via Twickenham (2tph)
- London Waterloo to Woking (4tph)
- London Waterloo to Southampton Central (2tph)
- London Waterloo to Basingstoke (2tph)
- Salisbury to Basingstoke (1tph)
- Guildford to Woking (1tph)
Customers are advised to only travel if their journeys are absolutely necessary. Journey planners for Friday 2 June will be up to date on Saturday 27 May.
Customers travelling to Epsom Downs Racecourse for Epsom Ladies Day are advised that there will be no services in the Epsom area.
Strike action will also affect other train operators and customers are advised to check their entire journey before they travel at nationalrail.co.uk.
On Saturday 3 June, a nationwide strike by ASLEF union members will again affect SWR’s network-wide depot drivers, who bring trains in and out of service, as well as drivers on the Island Line.
RMT strike action the day before will also mean services will start at the later time of 0730. Contingency timetables are still to be confirmed however SWR can announce the following service changes:
- There will be a reduced service between London Waterloo and Chessington South; Dorking; Hampton Court; London Waterloo via Hounslow; London Waterloo via Kingston; Reading; Shepperton; Twickenham; Weybridge; and Windsor & Eton Riverside
- A shuttle service will operate between Basingstoke and Yeovil Junction, with customers travelling between Yeovil Junction and London Waterloo required to change at Basingstoke
- A reduced service will operate in the Romsey area
- There will be no service on the Island Line
Customers are advised to check their journeys before they travel. A significant number of suburban services will be cancelled, however, it will not be possible to fully update journey planners until Friday 2 June. Customers should check their journeys before they set off.
Customers travelling to Epsom Downs Racecourse for the Epsom Derby are advised that Epsom station will not be served.
Steve Tyler, SWR’s Planning and Performance Director, said: “I’m sorry to say that due to strike action we will be forced to make changes to our services on Wednesday 31 May, Friday 2 June and Saturday 3 June. We are still working to confirm our services but able to advise customers of what to expect.
“The majority of our network will see a normal service on Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June, but there will be some areas where a reduced service will operate – suburban routes, on the West of England Line and in the Romsey area. There will be no service on the Island Line on these two days.
“Services will also start at the later time of 0730 on Saturday 3 June. On both days of ASLEF strike action, in the event of disruption, services may be subject to short notice delays and cancellations. Customers should check before they travel.
“On Friday 2 June, we will operate a significantly reduced service on a limited number of lines. Train services will only operate between the hours of 0700 and 1900. For this reason, we are asking customers to only travel if their journeys are absolutely necessary.
“We’re sorry for the disruption that our customers will experience and we strongly advise they check before they travel.”
Notes to editors
Unexpected staffing challenges during ASLEF strike action earlier this year led to a number of short notice cancellations. The amended timetables for Wednesday 31 May and Saturday 3 June are intended to prevent similar disruption and provide customers with greater certainty as to which services will run.
On Friday 2 June:
- An earlier train from Woking will run at 0719 and a later train will run to Woking at 1730
- An earlier train will run from Basingstoke at 0705 calling at Farnborough, Woking and Surbiton
- The first train from Staines to London Waterloo via Hounslow will run at 0646 and the last train from London Waterloo to Staines via Hounslow will run at 1752
- The first train from Staines to Windsor & Eton Riverside will run at 0706 and the last train from Windsor & Eton Riverside to Staines will run at 1830
- The first train from Staines to London Waterloo via Twickenham will run at 0701 and the last train from London Waterloo to Staines via Twickenham will run at 1807
- Two trains will run from London Waterloo to Salisbury, at 0910 and 1725. Two trains will run from Salisbury to London Waterloo at 0715 and 1515
- The first train from Guildford will run through to London Waterloo at 0715 and the penultimate train to Guildford will run from London Waterloo at 1800
Matthew Evans
Senior Stakeholder and Public Affairs Manager
South Western Railway
4th Floor, South Bank Central, 30 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9LQ
07870 833905
[email protected]
First MTR South Western Trains Limited trading as South Western Railway, registered in England Company No 07900320. Registered office: 8th Floor The Point, 37 North Wharf Road, London, United Kingdom, W2 1AF
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