South Western Railway (SWR) has confirmed that it will operate a new timetable from Sunday 2 June.

SWR runs over 1,500 services each weekday, and provides commuter inter-urban, regional and long-distance services to between South West London, southern England and the Isle of Wight, where its Island Line welcomed new trains two years ago.

The operator’s new timetable will differ significantly from the current timetable between Portsmouth and London Waterloo, and between Southampton Central and Portsmouth.

Portsmouth to London Waterloo changes

Monday to Saturday services between Portsmouth and London Waterloo via Guildford will be re-timed both to and from London.

Alongside this, times of Southern services between Brighton, Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central will change. 

SWR says that the changes will allow more time for its passengers to connect between train and ferry services at Portsmouth Harbour.

The changes are:

• Fast services will depart from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo at 15 minutes past the hour; the journey takes between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half hours.
• Stopping services will depart from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo at 33 minutes past the hour
• Saturday fast services will depart from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour.
• Saturday stopping services from Portsmouth & Southsea will depart at 37 minutes past the hour.

Further changes to morning peak trains

Three morning peak services between Portsmouth and London Waterloo will add or lose a stop: 

• The 06:24 from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo via Basingstoke will stop at Farnborough Main.
• The 06:42 from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo via Guildford will stop at Woking.
• The 10:03 from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo via Guildford will no longer stop at Woking.

Changes to Southampton Central to Portsmouth & Southsea services

Services between Southampton Central and Portsmouth & Southsea via Netley will be significantly re-timed, with changes taking place in conjunction with changes to Southern services.

• Services will depart from Southampton Central sixteen minutes earlier than currently, at 28 minutes past the hour.
• Services will depart Portsmouth & Southsea eight minutes later, at 46 minutes past the hour.
• A new service will run from Fareham to London Waterloo, departing at 07:49.

Further changes

SWR is also changing services to London Waterloo via Epsom:

• The 06:30 from Dorking to London Waterloo will be re-timed to depart eight minutes earlier, at 06:22. 
• The 05:58 will depart from Guildford to London Waterloo thirty minutes later, at 06:28.

Stopping services which depart from Basingstoke to London Waterloo at 24 minutes past the hour will call additionally at Clapham Junction. Services that depart at 54 minutes past the hour will no longer call at Clapham Junction.

The 06:44  from Southampton Central to London Waterloo will call additionally at Weybridge.

The 09:24  from London Waterloo to Alton will call additionally at Clapham Junction.

The 23:35 from Guildford to Aldershot will be re-timed to depart twenty minutes later, at 23:55, and will continue to be Farnham.

Some Sunday early morning services that currently start and terminate at Richmond will start and terminate at Clapham Junction or London Waterloo instead.

Some services that start at Clapham Junction will start at London Waterloo instead.

Passengers should check their journey on the National Rail Enquiries website to confirm any changes

“Our June 2024 timetable is the result of careful planning, taking into account our customers’ travel patterns and changes by other train operators on our network.

“To provide customers with a more reliable timetable, and in response to Southern’s West Coastway timetable changes, we’re making significant changes between Portsmouth and London Waterloo, and between Southampton Central and Portsmouth.

“We have also made a small number of changes to other services on our network, so it’s really important that customers check to see if their journeys have been retimed. Journey planners for services from Sunday 2 June are now showing the retimed services, so we advise customers to check now.”

Steve Tyler, South Western Railway’s Performance and Planning Director