Disruption on South Western Railway to Continue into August
Strikes and engineering works to affect local services
South Western Railway train at platform
July 27, 2023
A combination of industrial action and engineering works means that there is set to be a sustained period of disruption on South Western Railways (SWR).
This last day of strikes by the RMT takes place on Saturday 29 July and the rail company has already announce a significantly reduced service for that day. Large parts of the SWR network will be closed and trains will only run between the hours of 7am and 7pm. the Hounslow Loop service, two trains per hour will be running between these times. First train from Waterloo departs at 6.52am with the last leaving at 6:07pm. The first train from Hounslow leaves at 7am and the last at 6.30pm.
An additional two trains an hour will run between Waterloo and Twickenham serving stations such as Putney and Wandsworth Town. Combined with the Hounslow Loop services this will mean these stations have four trains an hour. The first train from Waterloo is at 7:07am and the last leaves at 6:07pm. The first train from Twickenham departs at 7:20am and the last at 6:20pm.
Wimbledon will be served by four trains an hour running between Woking and Waterloo.
Then from Monday 31 July to Saturday 5 August an overtime ban by ASLEF staff will result in more disruption the timetable. Journey planners will be updated on Friday 28 July for services between these dates.
On Saturday 5 August and Sunday 6 August there will be no trains between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow due to engineering work in the Staines area. This means there will be no services from stations such as Brentford, Chiswick, Isleworth and Kew Bridge. A rail replacement service will run in the mornings and the evenings between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow.
Further industrial action by ASLEF is expected from Monday 7 to Saturday 12 August which will also disrupt the schedule.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said, "Our national dispute is about pay job security and working conditions. The recent attack on ticket offices and the threat to de-staff our railways, has galvanised a huge groundswell of public support which we are grateful for.
"Our members and our union will not be cowed by rail bosses or government ministers and our dispute will continue until we can reach a negotiated settlement.
"We remain steadfast in our industrial programme and are available for talks 24/7 with train operating companies."
Stuart Meek, South Western Railway’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “I am sorry to say that strike action by the RMT union and industrial action by the ASLEF union will affect our services in the coming weeks.
"On Saturday 29 July, strike action by the RMT union will mean that we will operate a significantly reduced service with large parts of our network closed. Customers should only travel if their journeys are absolutely necessary. Customers should also note the times of the last trains of the day, which will be much earlier than usual.
“A ban on overtime working by the ASLEF union will then affect our network between Monday 31 July and Saturday 5 August. A reduced timetable will operate across our network and customers should check before they travel.
“We have started planning for the ASLEF union overtime ban that will take place between Monday 7 and Saturday 12 August. Services during this period will be announced in due course.
"We are very sorry for the large amount of disruption our customers will experience as a result of this damaging action by the RMT and ASLEF unions.”
For the latest information visit southwesternrailway.com/strike.
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