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South Western trains strike: when is it and which services are cancelled

Strikes affecting Southwestern Railway are set to continue into September: istock
Strikes affecting Southwestern Railway are set to continue into September: istock

The series of travel strikes continues, with industrial action affecting South Western Railway (SWR) routes taking place this weekend.

A reduced service will run on most of the South Western Railway network on Saturday. Some routes will not have a train service or a replacement bus service. Engineering works may also affect passenger journeys.

Action will apply across the network and impact journeys into London terminating at Waterloo and Richmond stations.

When are the strikes taking place?

Strike action will take place between 12.01am until 11.59pm on Saturday 15 September.

Which services are affected?

The following routes will be affected. Details may change at the last minute as timetables are finalised, so check the South Western Railway website for up-to-date details of services on Saturday 15 September.

South West London (Mainline Suburban)

South West London (Richmond, Brentford, Windsor and Reading)

Weymouth, Bournemouth, and Southampton to London Waterloo

Exeter St Davids, Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury to London Waterloo

Salisbury to Romsey via Southampton Central

Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo via Guildford

Alton, Basingstoke and Woking to London Waterloo

Portsmouth to Southampton and Eastleigh

Guildford to Ascot

Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier

Can I use my ticket on other train operators?

On strike days, passengers can use their ticket on the following train operators at no extra cost:

GWR

You can use your South Western Railway ticket (including advance tickets) on the routes below:

Bristol – Salisbury, via Warminster

Romsey – Portsmouth Harbour/Havant, via Fareham

Yeovil Pen Mill – Salisbury via Castle Cary and Warminster

If you're travelling from between Crewkerne and Exeter, you can use your ticket (including Advance tickets) on GWR trains between Exeter and London Paddington via Newbury.

If you hold a daily ticket between Basingstoke and London Waterloo routed “via Woking”, you can use this on GWR trains between Basingstoke and London Paddington via Reading.

CrossCountry

You can use your South Western Railway ticket (including advance tickets) on CrossCountry train services between Bournemouth and Reading.

Southern

You can use your South Western Railway ticket, including advance tickets on Southern Rail train services between Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central.

Transport for London

If you have a paper single, return or season ticket between rail stations on the following bus routes, you can present it to the driver of the bus for travel in either direction at no extra charge:

Route 111: Hampton – Hampton Court – Kingston

Route 216: Sunbury – Hampton – Hampton Court – Kingston

Route 290: Staines – Sunbury – Fulwell – Twickenham

Route 411: Hampton Court – Kingston

Route K2: Berrylands – Surbiton

Are any rail replacement bus services available?

Yes. Check the South Western Railway website for more information.

Can I get compensation about disruptions to my journey?

If you travel on a strike day and experience delays of 15 minutes or more to your journey, you are eligible to compensation. Find out more here.

If your train is cancelled or delayed and you have an off-peak, super off-peak, advance or anytime ticket and decide not to travel, SWR states that passengers will be entitled to a full refund.

Can I start my journey at a different station to that on my ticket?

If you hold a monthly or longer season ticket, SWR maintains that your ticket may be used from/to another station on the same line of route as the original ticket. This only applies to SWR services, however.

Why are staff striking?

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are taking industrial action over a dispute regarding the future of guards on trains.

The RMT maintains that guards are essential in ensuring passenger safety and in case of emergencies such as derailment, evacuation, fires and driver incapacity. Guards can also offer advice and assistance to passengers and help disabled passengers to embark and disembark.

In a statement published on their website, the RMT said it was “angry and frustrated that South Western Railway have failed to respond seriously to a union call for talks around the guard guarantee on their trains".

RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash, said: “It is particularly galling as positive proposals the union put forward in earlier talks that could have formed the basis of an agreement were welcomed by the management side but were subsequently sabotaged as they were escalated up the SWR management structure."

On 1 August, RMT made the following statement: ”RMT remains available for further talks over the coming days and into ‎the weekend and we expect the company to be available as well and to adhere to the next stages of the process.“

A spokesperson for SWR made the following comment to The Independent: “We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption to our customers. We are using all available resources including contingency guards, providing replacement bus services, arranging ticket acceptance on a number of other rail and bus networks and running as many trains as possible at maximum length to provide as much capacity as possible.

“We are publishing detailed service information, including on alternatives for passengers, on our website and will be updating this for future strike dates as soon as details are confirmed. We advise all customers to check their journey before they travel.”

For more information, click here for updates on the South Western Railway website.