South Western Railway customers advised to check before they travel
Industrial action starts today, Monday 3rd July
South Western Railway (SWR) customers are advised to check their journeys before travelling during nationwide ASLEF industrial action between today Monday 3 July and Saturday 8 July.
Members of the ASLEF union representing train drivers at 16 Train Operating Companies, including SWR, have been instructed not to book on for overtime or volunteer to work on rest days.
All train operators rely on a certain amount of overtime and rest day working to operate their normal timetable, and this varies by location and time of year.
While the majority of services will run, to help avoid short-notice amendments and cancellations and to provide greater certainty for customers, SWR will operate an amended timetable throughout this industrial action.
Local disruption
Winchester to Bournemouth / Poole: Service largely as per normal weekday timetable but some services will start and terminate at Bournemouth rather than Poole
Waterloo to Weymouth: Service largely reduced to hourly throughout the day ****
Typically, services will usually be reduced to hourly in off-peak periods with a small number of cancellations during the morning and evening peaks. Some first and last trains may also be cancelled.
Services are likely to be busier than usual throughout those days affected by the industrial action. Customers headed to the first week of Wimbledon should expect services to be especially busy and should allow extra time for their journeys.
Journey planners will be updated with the amended timetable for the five days from Monday 3 to Friday 7 July from Friday 30 June. Journey planners will be updated with the amended timetable for Saturday 8 June by the middle of next week.
Stuart Meek, Chief Operating Officer at South Western Railway, commented:
“We’re sorry that customers will again face disruption due to industrial action next week. Anybody planning to travel should please check their whole journey before setting off and be aware that services are likely to be busier than usual.
“Instead of making numerous short-notice amendments and cancellations to our standard timetable, we have decided to provide greater certainty for our customers by creating an amended timetable that we have a high degree of confidence we can reliably and safely deliver each day.”
Further industrial action
The RMT union has also called nationwide strike action for three dates next month: Thursday 20, Saturday 22, and Saturday 29 July. SWR customers should expect severe disruption to train services on these dates and may wish to consider changing travel plans now if possible.