South Western Railways Waterloo - Bristol services axed

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

The reductions were nothing to do with ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services) anyway, they were removed on request from the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) about service duplication. There was no need for it & saved both units & staff time if removed. As the DfT is still looking to shave the budget, there is no chance of the duplications being reinstated IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion')

[Mark A]

Another take: the service met a whole slew of different travel needs for people, was popular and well used, and as long as the railway doesn't introduce and develop this sort of service as part of addressing the glaring shortcomings of rail travel in the south west arising from the shortage of staff, rolling stock and infrastructure, it's relegating itself to a legacy transport mode.

Mark

[grahame]

The reductions were nothing to do with ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services) anyway, they were removed on request from the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) about service duplication. There was no need for it & saved both units & staff time if removed. As the DfT is still looking to shave the budget, there is no chance of the duplications being reinstated IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion')

Another take: the service met a whole slew of different travel needs for people, was popular and well used, and as long as the railway doesn't introduce and develop this sort of service as part of addressing the glaring shortcomings of rail travel in the south west arising from the shortage of staff, rolling stock and infrastructure, it's relegating itself to a legacy transport mode.

Mark

There are different cases here and each of them may have a different best outcome

* I have watched with interest how south coast services from west of Southampton, which head up to(wards) London have or have not headed out along the south coast along to(wards) Brighton and remember discussions about some of the smaller and sparser served stations did or could have lost London service.   If you can only justify one train per hour (and I don't know it enough to say if that's reasonable) then where and how far it should it go beyond Southampton is an interesting question.   Or ... do you "flipflop' at Southampton when the stopper from the West alternates between carrying on via Fareham and via Winchester - every line / station served hourly but alternating which start / terminate Southampton and which go through.

* Bristol - Salisbury and Salisbury - London stoppers  both use 15x trains and it is, frankly, hard to justify that six years ago a number of these were through trains and now they are disjoint and to the detriment of customer service.

* Reading to Salisbury; I don't know.  Start with a look at traffic levels between Basingstoke and Salisbury, and a look at the traffic levels across Basingstoke.

[CyclingSid]

* Reading to Salisbury; I don't know.  Start with a look at traffic levels between Basingstoke and Salisbury, and a look at the traffic levels across Basingstoke.

Reading to Salisbury direct still runs on Sundays.

[Mark A]

Also, thinking of the previously useful ~19:20 from Waterloo. Fast forward to 2026 and the closest Salisbury departure to that, on arrival, three carriages are detached - Gillingham, Templecombe, Sherbourne and Yeovil Junction get the benefit of those, while the three that could usefully serve Warminster, followed by the county town of Wiltshire, Bradford on Avon, Bath and Bristol are sent off to the depot. So, for that service, for once, there is the stock available and sitting around to cover the run to Bristol and return. (And the return wasn't a carrier of fresh air either.)

Mark

[stuving]

From RailUser Express ("RUX may be forwarded, or items copied") January 2026

RAILFUTURE WESSEX

Rf Wessex hopes that when every TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) in the south is operating under the GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) brand, some of the direct links that were lost with privatisation could be restored: Brighton - Southampton trains extended to Bournemouth; Waterloo – Salisbury to Bristol, and some Reading - Basingstoke shuttles to Salisbury. There must be many other examples around Britain, where direct connections could be restored once the accurate division of fares income is no longer an issue.

That's based on a distinctly weird view of railway history. The partial privatisation of the railways happened decades before this, and DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) (which took this decision) was never privatised at all. In a way it represents the continuation of BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)), particularly so as it edged into railway (micro)management over the years. And then during Covid, the top level of TOC management was renationalised - transferred back into DfT - leaving the TOCs with limited powers (and no cheque book). And, as noted in other posts, "duplication" (real or not) is likely to be created by separating regions/franchises/whatever, and be visible and then removed at a national level.

[anthony215]

I used the Waterloo to Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) services regularly especially as you saved quite a bit from South wales compared to going to Paddington.

I remember it being under wales and borders trains and running to Cardiff and West wales and they were always well used if you speak to staff who used to do it even the 0415 arrival into Waterloo had a decent number on.

[grahame]

I used the Waterloo to Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) services regularly especially as you saved quite a bit from South wales compared to going to Paddington.

I remember it being under wales and borders trains and running to Cardiff and West wales and they were always well used if you speak to staff who used to do it even the 0415 arrival into Waterloo had a decent number on.

Which, the cyncs have suggested, is a reason the service had to be "levelled down" - only fair that long distance fares should be charged on long distance trains; long distance trains at cheap fares in The South need to be withdrawn.

I often wondered about that nighttime Maesteg to Waterloo train!

[JayMac]

The trains may have gone, but the cheaper routed fares remain.

Were I still living in Bristol I'd be travelling to London via Salisbury whenever cost was the main concern. Of course, if finances were really strained then I'd be on the coach.