Salisbury trains affected by South Western Railway diesel fuel issue
The trains were experiencing "performance issues"
South Western Railway have announced a temporary timetable for their diesel powered train services after problems were found with the fuel the trains were using.
On Wednesday, a handful of trains from the Salisbury depot reported performance issues, as the trains were unable to reach their normal top speeds.
As a result, a temporary timetable has been put in place until further notice.
On the line from Salisbury to Southampton via Romsey, one train will run every two hours, while a single train each hour will run from Basingstoke to Salisbury and one service every two hours from Salisbury to Exeter St Davids.
The issue is now under investigation and the affected trains have been taken out of service for inspection and maintenance, meaning fewer available trains have forced the reduced service.
Stuart Meek, SWR’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
“We’re very sorry for the disruption that will be felt by our customers on the West of England Line, in the Romsey area and other destinations west of Salisbury. Over the last two days some services have suffered delays due to a fuel problem and so we have had no choice but to withdraw the affected trains.
“With fewer trains available and a risk of delays, which would have a knock-on effect on the wider network, we have had to make the difficult decision to operate an amended timetable. While we appreciate it is frustrating that fewer services will be operating, this timetable does give our customers a service they can have confidence in.
“We really appreciate our customers’ patience and advise them to check before travelling. We will provide an update when we know we can reinstate the usual timetable and run services as normal.”