Prime Minister says full South Western Railway timetable returns soon
One MP has raised concerns in the House of Commons about services
The Prime Minister says a full timetable of trains through Salisbury will be coming back soon.
South Western Railway is currently running a reduced, temporary timetable due to Covid and staff shortages.
But there have been concerns that some areas that SWR covers are facing isolation due to a lack of direct trains to and from London, with fewer trains running on routes like Salisbury to Waterloo.
West Dorset MP, Chris Loder, spoke up during Prime Minister's Questions earlier today (Wednesday 2nd February):
“South Western Railway has totally cut off Dorset, Somerset, most of Wiltshire, and Devon from its direct train services to London, as well as slashing our service in half, most of which is totally unnecessary.
"Will my Right Honourable Friend support me and my neighbouring MPs in getting direct services back and having a new timetable that is fit for our region?”
The Prime Minister responded by saying that services will be restored soon:
"I want to thank my right honourable friend for his question. He knows where-of he speaks, he is an expert in this subject and he's lobbied very effectively for his constituents and reflected their frustrations.
"I'm told the timetable is expected to return to December 2021 levels from Saturday 19th February."