December 2018 Timetable Consultation Outcome Report Published April 2018
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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 extra capacity and faster journeys. draft timetables. The timetables were who took the time to feedback on the However, to address the most common published on our website alongside a December 2018 timetable proposals request, which was to retain certain consultation paper with insight into our as part of our consultation process. We stations in some of the proposed faster proposals. recognise that any timetable change services, we have had to make some can have a significant impact on our difficult trade-offs between connectivity In addition, we hosted station events, customers and the communities we and journey times. stakeholder events for Community serve, so it was important that we Rail Partnerships, action groups involved you in its development. We and Rail User Groups as well as a now want to share with you how the Our consultation ran briefing session for constituency comments we have received have helped between 29 September MPs at the House of Commons. shape our final proposals. and 22 December 2017 to: The feedback we received in relation to South Western Railway (SWR) has the timetables has been reviewed some of the busiest routes in the – involve customers, stakeholders, staff as we promised and we have considered country, operating over 1,700 services and community groups in the future how we can adjust our original plans each weekday. We provide commuter, plans for the specification of the train to accommodate, where possible, the interurban, regional and long distance services we provide from December needs highlighted by the communities services to passengers in south west 2018; and we serve. London and across the south and south – provide a channel to feedback west, as well as providing connectivity to comments – both positive and The timetable plans are submitted to the ports and airports. negative – so that SWR can use this Network Rail which is responsible for information to help shape the final network wide capacity allocation. They We recognise that our services play an timetable proposals. will review our proposals for compliance important role in keeping our customers with industry timetable rules as well moving across the region and the SWR undertook a comprehensive as assess their compatibility with the timetable must evolve to meet the needs communications campaign to raise timetable bids made by other passenger of both our current and future customers. awareness of the consultation with and freight operators. We have been We know that passengers want a announcements on board trains, discussing changes to the Train Service combination of improved capacity, posters and face to face events at Specification – this details what increased frequency and faster journey stations, meetings with councils, services we are required to operate times. MPs, user groups and travel partners – with the Department for Transport as well as reviewing and, where since the end of the consultation and The December 2018 timetable is a huge possible, responding to thousands of your feedback has helped support the part of the plan to provide much needed emails following the publication of 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 A clear message was received at local events and via 1. Hounslow loop the consultation that our initial plan to move the existing Wraysbury and Sunnymeads calls from the Waterloo to and Chertsey line Windsor via Richmond service into the proposed Waterloo to Windsor via Hounslow service should be challenged. Many connectivity 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 Your feedback Our response current stopping pattern via Richmond is maintained. Please retain the direct We are amending our This however means that our journey time improvements Waterloo to Weybridge via proposals to restore an on the Windsor via Richmond route are reduced from that Hounslow service all-day service from consulted upon. Weybridge via Hounslow loop. The off-peak Windsor services willl reduce to two per hour in order to provide 2. Queenstown Road the capacity to retain this service. service provision Your feedback Our response Please consider the impact Two services per hour, Please do not cut the We have altered the plans to of additional services on the rather than four, in the service to Queenstown Road retain the eight services per level crossing at Datchet off-peak to and from Windsor will reduce the hour to Queenstown Road. amount of time the level crossing barriers are Our original proposal reduced the services stopping at closed. (Two services Queenstown Road from eight to four per hour. Following per hour will maintain consultation and discussions with MPs it is clear that the today’s level of service development in the area warrants retention of the public off-peak for Windsor.) transport support that SWR can offer so we propose to retain eight services per hour. We received feedback which asked us to reconsider The requirements for the frequencies of services calling at the removal of the direct Waterloo to Weybridge service the station can then be reviewed once the Northern Line via Hounslow. extension works are complete in 2020, when this will provide the area with further transport links across London. 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 3. Martins Heron at all-stations from Waterloo to Weybridge via Hounslow. This will operate at 30 minute intervals all-day with similar first peak train service and last services as the December 2017 timetable. Your feedback Our response This change does however come at the expense of two of the proposed four per hour Waterloo to Windsor services Please retain four trains per We have adjusted the during off-peak hours. This change means that Windsor will hour during peak times Reading service calling get up to four services per hour in the peak, reducing to two pattern to retain, as a per hour in the off-peak. This will avoid an off-peak increase minimum, the same number in Datchet level crossing barrier down times which was a of peak Martins Heron calls significant concern for local residents. as per today with up to four per hour in the peak periods. Sunnymeads and Wraysbury SWR recognises the feedback from commuters using to Richmond connectivity Martins Heron station for keeping the four services they currently have in peak periods in the December 2018 Your feedback Our response timetable. The reduction of calls at peak time to two was very negatively received. Therefore we plan to maintain the Please restore the We plan to amend the level of service at peak times in both directions to London Wraysbury and Windsor to Waterloo and Reading. This will reduce the proposed improvements to Sunnymeads calls in the services to ensure that there journey times that were originally consulted upon. Windsor via Hounslow is a via Richmond option. services to allow direct services to Richmond and Twickenham 4 5 4. Whitton peak fast 6. Farnborough, Fleet, service provision Hook and Winchfield peak Your feedback Our response service calls Please do not take away We aim to ensure three the faster services in the faster peak morning Your feedback Our response peak from Whitton services and three peak Retention of four trains per Our plans have been evening services calling at hour at Hook and Winchfield amended to accommodate Whitton station. This is in in the peak periods the requirement of four addition to the half-hourly services per hour in the Windsor service that will peak to serve these stations. also call. We will maintain General connectivity for Our proposals will satisfy the three fast services from Hart area stations the need for connectivity Whitton in the morning between stations on the peak. In the evening peak route and not just to the the three fast services are major hubs. in addition to those provided today. Farnborough and Fleet We have maintained peak should not get a reduced services to and from The initial proposal removed stops at Whitton from the faster service as a result of smaller Farnborough at six services services in the morning peak to London. We plan to amend stations on the line gaining per hour, however to meet a number of Reading services to have their calling patterns more calls the needs of the customers stop at Whitton.