South Western Railway (SWR) is urging customers to only travel if absolutely necessary from Tuesday 3rd to Sunday 8th January due to strike action.
Island Line members will not be taking part in the action.
National strike action by the RMT union on Tuesday 3rd, Wednesday 4th, Friday 6th and Saturday 7th will mean a severely reduced service on infrastructure made available by Network Rail. Trains will run between 07:15 and 18:30 only.
On Thursday 5th, national strike action by the ASLEF union, which will affect depot drivers and significantly limit the number of trains that can be brought into service, will again mean a severely reduced service and the same timetable operating as on other strike days. This strike action will also impact drivers on the Island Line and so there will be no Island Line services on Thursday 5th January.
Significant parts of the network will be closed entirely between Tuesday 3rd and Saturday 7th January. Those trains that are running will be far less frequent and much busier than normal.
Due to the impact of these strike days, customers are also advised to check before travelling on Sunday 8th January, when first trains will start from around 07:30 and are likely to be very busy. A regular weekend timetable will operate on Sunday 8th January after this late start up.
SWR’s reduced timetable will consist of:
- Four trains per hour in each direction between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside
- Two semi-fast trains per hour in each direction between London Waterloo and Basingstoke
- Four trains per hour in each direction between London Waterloo and Woking
- Two fast trains per hour in each direction between London Waterloo and Southampton Central
Trains will not stop at all the stations on these routes. There will be no SWR services across the rest of the network.
SWR would also like to remind customers that on Saturday 31st December, New Year’s Eve, services will finish by 2200.
To help customers return from New Year’s Eve celebrations in the capital, a limited number of additional services will run from London Waterloo between 0030 and 0315 on Sunday 1st January, New Year’s Day.
Customers intending to travel to London and back should check both parts of their journeys carefully.
The latest information and details of which services are running can be found on the SWR Website.
News shared by Steve on behalf of South Western Railway. Ed
