Reduced summer timetable on South Western Railway

South Western Railway was re-nationalised in May

South Western Railway (SWR) has reduced its summer timetable so that drivers can undergo training to operate the network's long-delayed new trains.

The operator, which became the first to be re-nationalised under Labour in May, said there would be some "minor alterations to services in our suburban area" until 29 August.

SWR said the timetable would affect less than 5% of its 1,600 daily services "at a time when fewer customers are travelling with us" but did not provide specific details on which services were affected.

A spokesperson said: "Over the summer holiday period, customer numbers drop by 12-17% and the services we have removed are those with the lowest forecast demand."

They added that since the transfer to public ownership, a new trains programme has been unlocked and 14 Arterios are in daily service.

The timetable reduction will help protect the driver training programme, while also minimising the risk of on-the-day cancellations due to "colleagues taking their annual leave during the school holidays", the spokesperson said.

SWR would only state an amended timetable would run on the following routes:

• Alton

• Chessington South

• Guildford via Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon

• Guildford via Woking

• Hampton Court

• London Waterloo via Richmond

• Reading

• Shepperton

• Weybridge via Chertsey

• Windsor & Eton Riverside

• Woking (stopping services)

Last year, the BBC used the Freedom of Information Act to try to uncover the total public cost of the delay in delivering a new fleet of trains, including the additional cost of keeping older trains running.

But the Department for Transport responded that, although it did hold the information, it would not reveal the cost.

It said the number would "prejudice the commercial interests of South Western Railway and the department".