December 2018 timetable consultation outcome report Published April 2018 1
The outcome of South Western Railway s timetable consultation for December 2018 Thank you to the thousands of people who took the time to feedback on the December 2018 timetable proposals as part of our consultation process. We recognise that any timetable change can have a significant impact on our customers and the communities we serve, so it was important that we involved you in its development. We now want to share with you how the comments we have received have helped shape our final proposals. South Western Railway (SWR) has some of the busiest routes in the country, operating over 1,700 services each weekday. We provide commuter, interurban, regional and long distance services to passengers in south west London and across the south and south west, as well as providing connectivity to the ports and airports. We recognise that our services play an important role in keeping our customers moving across the region and the timetable must evolve to meet the needs of both our current and future customers. We know that passengers want a combination of improved capacity, increased frequency and faster journey times. The December 2018 timetable is a huge part of the plan to provide much needed extra capacity and faster journeys. However, to address the most common request, which was to retain certain stations in some of the proposed faster services, we have had to make some difficult trade-offs between connectivity and journey times. Our consultation ran between 29 September and 22 December 2017 to: involve customers, stakeholders, staff and community groups in the future plans for the specification of the train services we provide from December 2018; and provide a channel to feedback comments both positive and negative so that SWR can use this information to help shape the final timetable proposals. SWR undertook a comprehensive communications campaign to raise awareness of the consultation with announcements on board trains, posters and face to face events at stations, meetings with councils, MPs, user groups and travel partners as well as reviewing and, where possible, responding to thousands of emails following the publication of the draft timetables. The timetables were published on our website alongside a consultation paper with insight into our proposals. In addition, we hosted station events, stakeholder events for Community Rail Partnerships, action groups and Rail User Groups as well as a briefing session for constituency MPs at the House of Commons. The feedback we received in relation to the timetables has been reviewed as we promised and we have considered how we can adjust our original plans to accommodate, where possible, the needs highlighted by the communities we serve. The timetable plans are submitted to Network Rail which is responsible for network wide capacity allocation. They will review our proposals for compliance with industry timetable rules as well as assess their compatibility with the timetable bids made by other passenger and freight operators. We have been discussing changes to the Train Service Specification this details what services we are required to operate with the Department for Transport since the end of the consultation and your feedback has helped support the changes we are asking to be made. 2
The timetable change process is complex and involves discussions and approvals with stakeholders including the Department for Transport and Network Rail. These all take time which is why there is a period where we are not able to give you exact service details and one of the main reasons we have produced this overview document. Full timetables will be available later this year. Key issues we are addressing following the consultation: 1 Hounslow loop and Chertsey line connectivity Windsor services including: Datchet level crossing Sunnymeads and Wraysbury to Richmond connectivity 2 Queenstown Road service provision 3 Martins Heron peak service 4 Whitton peak fast service provision 5 Camberley line and Ascot peak services 6 Farnborough, Fleet, Hook and Winchfield peak service calls 7 West of Southampton to Weymouth service 8 West of England line: Clapham Junction calls in West of England line services Sunday services 9 Clapham Junction peak calls 10 School service provision 11 Isle of Wight connections via Portsmouth 12 Other areas being reviewed following feedback 3
1. Hounslow loop and Chertsey line connectivity Please retain the direct Waterloo to Weybridge via Hounslow service We are amending our proposals to restore an all-day service from Weybridge via Hounslow loop. The off-peak Windsor services willl reduce to two per hour in order to provide the capacity to retain this service. A clear message was received at local events and via the consultation that our initial plan to move the existing Wraysbury and Sunnymeads calls from the Waterloo to Windsor via Richmond service into the proposed Waterloo to Windsor via Hounslow service should be challenged. Many felt that forcing a change for passengers going to Richmond or Twickenham was not acceptable and we have therefore amended the Windsor to Waterloo service to ensure that the current stopping pattern via Richmond is maintained. This however means that our journey time improvements on the Windsor via Richmond route are reduced from that consulted upon. 2. Queenstown Road service provision Please consider the impact of additional services on the level crossing at Datchet Two services per hour, rather than four, in the off-peak to and from Windsor will reduce the amount of time the level crossing barriers are closed. (Two services per hour will maintain today s level of service off-peak for Windsor.) Please do not cut the service to Queenstown Road We have altered the plans to retain the eight services per hour to Queenstown Road. Our original proposal reduced the services stopping at Queenstown Road from eight to four per hour. Following consultation and discussions with MPs it is clear that the development in the area warrants retention of the public transport support that SWR can offer so we propose to retain eight services per hour. We received feedback which asked us to reconsider the removal of the direct Waterloo to Weybridge service via Hounslow. We recognise that this service is relied upon for commutes to some major employers and schools on the route and have therefore proposed to reinstate the service to call at all-stations from Waterloo to Weybridge via Hounslow. This will operate at 30 minute intervals all-day with similar first and last services as the December 2017 timetable. This change does however come at the expense of two of the proposed four per hour Waterloo to Windsor services during off-peak hours. This change means that Windsor will get up to four services per hour in the peak, reducing to two per hour in the off-peak. This will avoid an off-peak increase in Datchet level crossing barrier down times which was a significant concern for local residents. Sunnymeads and Wraysbury to Richmond connectivity Please restore the Wraysbury and Sunnymeads calls in the Windsor via Hounslow services to allow direct services to Richmond and Twickenham We plan to amend the Windsor to Waterloo services to ensure that there is a via Richmond option. The requirements for the frequencies of services calling at the station can then be reviewed once the Northern Line extension works are complete in 2020, when this will provide the area with further transport links across London. 3. Martins Heron peak train service Please retain four trains per hour during peak times We have adjusted the Reading service calling pattern to retain, as a minimum, the same number of peak Martins Heron calls as per today with up to four per hour in the peak periods. SWR recognises the feedback from commuters using Martins Heron station for keeping the four services they currently have in peak periods in the December 2018 timetable. The reduction of calls at peak time to two was very negatively received. Therefore we plan to maintain the level of service at peak times in both directions to London and Reading. This will reduce the proposed improvements to journey times that were originally consulted upon. 4
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4. Whitton peak fast service provision Please do not take away the faster services in the peak from Whitton We aim to ensure three faster peak morning services and three peak evening services calling at Whitton station. This is in addition to the half-hourly Windsor service that will also call. We will maintain the three fast services from Whitton in the morning peak. In the evening peak the three fast services are in addition to those provided today. The initial proposal removed stops at Whitton from the faster services in the morning peak to London. We plan to amend a number of Reading services to have their calling patterns stop at Whitton. Our aim will be to ensure three peak morning services and three peak evening services will call at Whitton station providing a 28 minute journey time for passengers from this station. This is in addition to the half-hourly Windsor service that will also call at Whitton. 5. Camberley line and Ascot peak services We need our direct peak services from Camberley, Frimley and Bagshot to Waterloo and back We plan to maintain the direct services from Frimley, Camberley and Bagshot to and from Waterloo at peak times. We will offer three services in both the morning and evening peaks (this represents one additional service during the evening peak period compared to today). Our face to face meetings, discussions with MPs and feedback emails told us that the loss of the direct Camberley peak service to and from London was not well received even though a faster journey time would be achievable by changing at Ash Vale. 6. Farnborough, Fleet, Hook and Winchfield peak service calls Retention of four trains per hour at Hook and Winchfield in the peak periods General connectivity for Hart area stations Farnborough and Fleet should not get a reduced service as a result of smaller stations on the line gaining more calls Our plans have been amended to accommodate the requirement of four services per hour in the peak to serve these stations. Our proposals will satisfy the need for connectivity between stations on the route and not just to the major hubs. We have maintained peak services to and from Farnborough at six services per hour, however to meet the needs of the customers across the other stations on the route we have kept the number of calls at Fleet to the existing four services per hour from our original proposal of six during the peak. Our original proposals saw an improvement in peak stops for Fleet and Farnborough as the largest footfall stations and a reduction in peak calls for Hook and Winchfield. We received high volumes of correspondence from customers using these stations requesting that existing levels of service be reinstated. A supplementary proposal was then published which offered this, however saw more negative feedback than positive with respondees challenging why Fleet and Farnborough should lose their additional trains to Hook and Winchfield. There is also a requirement for interconnectivity between stations on this line for schools and colleges at Brookwood and Farnborough. Our amended proposals will maintain four services per hour at Fleet, Hook and Winchfield in the peak times, with six services per hour at Farnborough and we will keep this under review to match demand. We have reviewed the requirement to interconnect the communities along the route although this will result in less opportunity to reduce overall journey times. We have re-analysed the capacity for services through Ascot in the peak and will plan that direct services will be maintained from and to Frimley, Camberley and Bagshot with Waterloo in the peak. In both the morning and evening peaks we propose to run three direct services which would mean an additional direct service in the evening peak period compared to today. 6
7. West of Southampton to Weymouth service Weymouth, and intermediate stations, need more not less direct services to London the journey time saving does not warrant the loss of a whole direct train Hamworthy, Upwey and Moreton should not have to change on to services to Waterloo Branksome and Parkstone require commuter services to and from London Sway needs good connections to Waterloo We have reworked the timetable and will maintain two direct services at the loss of some, but not all, of the journey time saving. We estimate the journey time reduction to be an average of 10 minutes quicker for the faster train in each hour between Weymouth and London compared to today (this was an average of 14 minutes quicker in the initial plan). We propose a second slower Weymouth service that will call at these stations to ensure a direct service to and from Waterloo all-day. There will be two services per hour all-day and the peak service will match the times and frequencies of the December 2017 timetable. We plan to provide Sway with direct services in the peak periods with a change at Brockenhurst in the off-peak. Another clear challenge to our proposals came from west of Southampton, with customers there sending us the most correspondence as part of the consultation. The clear view was that maintaining direct services and more frequent services were preferential to improved journey times. We propose to retain two direct services between London and Weymouth with one service dividing each hour at Southampton Central; this allows connectivity to be retained whilst improving end to end journey times. The peak practice of dividing trains at Southampton is to be expanded into the off-peak. The off-peak service proposed is: a Half-hourly London to Weymouth service calling at either Woking or Clapham Junction; b One of these services will divide at Southampton Central, with the front portion going forward calling at Bournemouth, Poole and all stations to Weymouth, the rear portion calling at Totton, Brockenhurst, New Milton, Christchurch, Pokesdown, Bournemouth, Branksome, Parkstone and Poole; c This will increase Totton services to two per hour while retaining a direct service to London which will have an improved journey time compared to today; d Brockenhurst, Branksome and Parkstone will get two services per hour to London all-day; e Hamworthy, Moreton and Upwey will be served by one service per hour in both the London and Weymouth directions; f Holton Heath will be provided with one service per hour except on Sundays and late evenings from Waterloo; g Through services will be maintained from New Milton, Christchurch and Pokesdown all-day with one per hour off-peak with additional peak calls; h The new Portsmouth to Weymouth stopping service proposed in our consultation will now terminate and start from Bournemouth rather than continuing through to Weymouth. Stations between Bournemouth and Weymouth will continue to be served by a Waterloo service; i We are also looking to accommodate school flow requirements into stopping patterns of this service during key hours for this passenger group; and j Sway, Hinton Admiral and Ashurst New Forest will maintain peak direct services with off-peak travel requiring a change at Brockenhurst or Southampton Central. 8. West of England line Please retain the ability to We are amending the plans change at Clapham Junction to ensure both Clapham if we have to choose Junction and Woking calls between this station and are maintained in off-peak Woking, but the option for West of England services. both station calls if possible would give alternatives for onward travel planning 7
Clapham Junction calls in West of England services The consultation asked a specific question to those using the West of England line whether they would prefer either a Woking or Clapham Junction call, or alternate calls at either of these stations outside of peak periods. The feedback and comments received clearly wanted the connectivity attained by having a Clapham Junction call. However, there were also customers requiring the Woking call, so we have retained both in the services outside of the peaks and at weekends, albeit with an impact on the originally proposed journey time reductions. Please see section 9 for more information on the Clapham Junction peak calling pattern. Sunday services We recognise that so far the weekend timetables have not been made available for review, however, we are responding to a requirement identified and propose that on Sunday mornings the Waterloo to Exeter services only call at Andover, between Basingstoke and Salisbury. However, we will also provide an hourly stopping service between Salisbury and Basingstoke which will then run non-stop to Reading, which will serve Grateley, Andover, Whitchurch and Overton to provide better connectivity. On Sunday afternoons, this service will run through to Waterloo so as to provide a Waterloo and Salisbury service every half-hour. It will also provide an hourly service for Overton, Whitchurch and Grateley a considerable improvement over the one every other hour serving the stations today. 8
9. Clapham Junction peak calls Please provide more stops at Clapham Junction not less We are looking at every option to achieve our customer requirements and appreciate the reduction in calls in the peaks is frustrating; however we need to achieve significant capacity improvement across our services into London Waterloo. Therefore, we will continue with our original plans to reduce the services calling at Clapham Junction in the peak and shoulder peak periods. We received hundreds of emails from customers that seek more, not less, Clapham Junction calls during the peak hours. We are aware that the ability to interchange at this station is used by many, however we maintain that the benefits to the majority of passengers is to provide the extra overall capacity and faster journeys to and from Waterloo by not stopping as many services at Clapham Junction in the peaks. By reducing the number of services calling at Clapham Junction in the peaks, we are able to tackle some of the key issues passengers raise, including that of overcrowding. The table shows the proposed number of calls at Clapham Junction compared to that in the December 2017 timetable on the mainline. Morning Peak Time band December 2017 December 2018 Total Trains Clapham Junction stops Total Trains Clapham Junction stops 07:00 07:59 18 6 22 3 28% 08:00 08:59 25 0 25 1 20% 09:00 09:59 16 7 19 7 16% Total 59 13 66 11 21% Capacity increase to London Waterloo Overall, there will be two fewer services over the morning peak period calling at Clapham Junction, which allows us to run seven additional services providing 21 per cent additional capacity into London Waterloo. Despite the reduction in number of services calling at Clapham Junction the overall capacity of the trains that will call is increased by 28 per cent over the morning peak period due to running longer trains. Evening Peak Time band December 2017 December 2018 Total Trains Clapham Junction stops Total Trains Clapham Junction stops Capacity increase from London Waterloo 16:00 16:59 15 6 17 7 50% 17:00 17:59 19 1 23 1 28% 18:00 18:59 19 4 24 0 29% 19:00 19:59 17 9 18 8 17% Total 70 20 82 16 32% Similarly, in the evening peak, overall there will be four fewer services calling at Clapham Junction in the evening peak period, which allows us to run 12 additional services providing 32 per cent additional capacity departing London Waterloo. 10. School service provision and extended days Can you ensure that the services minimise waiting times for our students at stations for their safety and security with minimal need for changes With school days starting and finishing at different times all over the routes we operate we are doing our best to accommodate specific needs and to look at alternative service routes to minimise changes. We have been contacted by many schools, colleges and parents on behalf of their children that use our services to travel to meet their educational needs. We are grateful for this feedback as it highlighted some issues we were not previously aware of and we have incorporated changes wherever possible. 11. Isle of Wight connections via Portsmouth Please align trains to Wightlink ferries so that journeys are as fast as today without long waits at terminals We are working with Wightlink to ensure the connectivity is maintained including the first ferry connections in the morning. Rail and sea connections to the Isle of Wight are key to those who commute to and from the island, and therefore we continue to work with Wightlink to ensure our timetables align as far as possible. We aim to maintain the current level of connectivity and journey times between the Isle of Wight and London via Ryde and Portsmouth. This includes the first ferry connection in the morning. 9
12. Other areas being reviewed following feedback There were numerous other individual service queries and comments that we have looked at while reviewing the plans for our December 2018 timetable. This is not an exhaustive list, but we wanted to show that where we can we are accommodating the feedback into our plans. NB: The timings in the information below are as per the timetable plans in our submission to Network Rail, however they may need to be amended slightly in the final timetable in light of feedback from their review. The new proposals will reflect: a The retention of the weekday extension of the lunchtime Waterloo to Yeovil via Frome and Bruton service; b The first Guildford to London via Cobham service now arrives earlier than planned around 06:30; c The 05:23 Farnham to Waterloo will call additionally at West Byfleet, Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames to mirror the existing 05:43 Woking to Waterloo; d Extra calls at Vauxhall on some morning peak trains from Reading; e One service per hour in the off-peak from Basingstoke (the slow service) to call at Clapham Junction; f Many of the additional semi-fast services between Portsmouth and Southampton will call at Netley and Woolston; g The current 07:17 Southampton to Portsmouth stopping service will be retained at similar times to today; h Service frequencies at Liss will be improved to two per hour throughout the day and on Saturdays; i j There will be revised and additional calls at Liphook, Liss and Rowlands Castle at peak and school times; The 16:25 Waterloo to Exeter/Bristol will call additionally at Overton and Grateley; k After the evening peak (ie 20:00) Micheldever and Shawford will see frequencies maintained at those similar to today; l A limited number of stops at Freshford will be introduced on services to Bristol and the majority of trains will now call at Oldfield Park to serve the university campus nearby; m More stops will be provided at Whimple and Feniton and the pathing of certain trains in the evening will be reviewed to improve performance on the single line section between Honiton and Pinhoe; n The 05:50 Exeter to Waterloo will serve all stations between Exeter and Honiton and will also stop additionally at Woking; o 05:40 Southampton to Waterloo will start back from Bournemouth to maintain connectivity to and from the New Forest stations to Basingstoke and Woking; p The 05:20 from Poole to Waterloo will call additionally at Clapham Junction and the 06:35 from Weymouth will call at Clapham Junction instead of Basingstoke; q Two additional calls will be provided at Weybridge in the morning peak on trains which then run non-stop to Waterloo; r The 06:35 from Brockenhurst to Waterloo will instead start from Southampton; s A fast departure from London to West Byfleet will be provided between 16:00 and 17:00; and t A fast departure from London to Hampton Court will be provided around 19:30. 10
Next steps The purpose of holding our consultation on the original proposals for the December 2018 timetable was to give you an opportunity to help shape the final proposal so that it meets the needs of passengers both now and in the future. We have listened to your aspirations and needs and have tried to meet as many of these as possible within the constraints of the network. On such a busy network creating capacity has to be the cornerstone of our timetable, and we have tried to meet the desire for faster journeys whilst still maintaining connections and services to smaller stations. We recognise we will never please everybody, but we believe with your help, we have created a timetable which delivers much of what you told us was needed and which will still provide more capacity, some faster journeys and new journey opportunities. These timetables are submitted to Network Rail, who will review it alongside the timetables of other operators who use the network, and provide us with feedback. Their review of this timetable is very technical and it may be necessary for us to amend our plans in-line with their comments. We expect Network Rail s feedback in the summer and then will be able to provide you with detailed timetables later in the year. We will communicate these finalised timetables via our website so that customers can see what their journeys will look like from December 2018. We are really grateful to everyone that has taken the time to give us their feedback throughout the consultation process. Thank you. 11
12 A FirstGroup and MTR company