Great Western Coffee Shop

South West Trains (a Stagecoach company) run local and long distance trains from London's Waterloo station to Portsmouth, to Weymouth, to Exeter, to Bristol Temple Meads, and to other destinations short thereof.  Their services include many inner and outer suburban services, and some local trains too.   Whether you're travelling from Queenstown Road to Kew Bridge, or Dean to Mottisfont, you'll probably be on one of their trains.

This board is provided for customers of South West Trains.   That's you and me - the people who buy our tickets and travel with them. Industry experts are very welcome indeed to contribute;  very often things happen and decisions are made that perplex the traveller, and a quick question / few words of explanation can rapidly bring forth an answer which explains why.   That may suggest alternatives, and it may in time even be read by SWT and lead to changes - stranger things have happened.  At the least, once something's explained, it's often much easier to understand and accept.

You'll notice that our web page address is "FirstGreatWestern".   That's because this is a (new, as I write) child board on the First Great Western Coffee Shop.   That forum has been running (and busy) for a number of years, and I've been asked from time to time "do you do anything similar for South West Trains".    I have learned a great deal from reading posts and threads about neighbouring operators, and - with the offer from Brucey to moderate this board - we've taken the plunge and added sections for neighbouring lines.   In time, we may need to change the main board from "FIRST Great Western", and indeed run under a more generic name. However, it should be stressed that these boards are run and hosted by a rail customer, for other rail customers and are totally independent of the companies concerned.

We have a number of rules and guidelines right across the Coffee Shop forum - you can read the introduction here (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=1761.0), and we welcome signups from anyone who would like to ask questions on, or discuss, anything South West Trains, in line with those guidelines.   Initially,  you may find that the board starts quiet - and that means that you can be a great help in contributing.   Thank you, and welcome.