South Western Railway is the main operator for western Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, and also serves Greater London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon.
Most SWR services run on electrified lines using the 750VDCthird rail system. There is a diesel fleet for services on theWest of England line to Salisbury and Exeter, using the unelectrified track beyondWorting Junction just west of Basingstoke, and for services from Salisbury to Southampton via Romsey which also serve Eastleigh.
FromLondon Waterloo, SWR's London terminus, long-distance trains run to southern England, including the major coastal population centres of Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. There are also trains to Reading and Exeter, but these are not the principal fast services from London to those cities, which are operated fromLondon Paddington byGreat Western Railway. The majority of SWR's passengers are on suburban commuter lines in inner and south-west London, Surrey, east Berkshire, and north-east Hampshire.
As with most rail companies, non-folding bicycles are banned from peak-time trains to and from London. However, these restrictions apply only to cyclists boarding or alighting in the area bounded by Hook, Alton, Guildford, Reading and Dorking, in order to maximise available passenger space on the most crowded trains.[10]
SWR operates regular services on four mainline routes:[11][12]
TheSouth West Main Line (SWML) runs between London Waterloo and the town ofWeymouth; the route passes through several large towns and cities, includingWoking,Basingstoke,Winchester,Southampton,Bournemouth,Poole andDorchester. South Western Railway operates trains along the entire length of the line. Almost all trains operated by the company start from or terminate at Waterloo with the exception of a Winchester – Bournemouth / Poole stopping service; these include semi-fast services to/from Southampton and Poole, and express services to/from Weymouth. There are also trains to and fromPortsmouth, which branch off the SWML atEastleigh, then proceed via theEastleigh to Fareham andWest Coastway lines to Portsmouth Harbour station.
ThePortsmouth Direct line branches off the SWML at Woking and runs toPortsmouth viaGuildford,Haslemere,Petersfield andHavant. South Western Railway operates all passenger trains on this route; these include fast and semi-fast services between London and Portsmouth, and semi-fast services as far as Haslemere.
TheWest of England line is the only mainline route that is not fully electrified.[13] It leaves the SWML atBasingstoke and runs toExeter viaAndover,Salisbury,Gillingham andYeovil. South Western Railway is the only operator on the line, with most services running between London and either Salisbury or Exeter St Davids. Some peak-time services terminate at various other destinations on the line, including Gillingham andYeovil Pen Mill.
TheAlton line leaves the SWML atBrookwood (just after Woking) and runs toAlton viaAldershot andFarnham. It is the shortest of the four mainline routes and as such it is sometimes considered an outer suburban route instead (but for ticketing purposes, it is classed as a mainline route). Services usually run the full length of the line between London and Alton, though some terminate at Farnham.
In total, as of 2021[update], there were 14 mainline trains per hour departing London Waterloo in the off-peak hours; this number increases in the peak hours.[12] The majority of mainline services are operated byClass 444 orClass 450EMUs, except for the West of England Main Line which is operated byClass 158 orClass 159DMUs (because it is unelectrified), and the Alton Line which also sees the occasional use ofClass 458 units.
South Western Railway also operates many suburban "Metro" services in and around London. These run between Waterloo andClapham Junction, where they split into two routes: via Putney and via Wimbledon.[11] All services on the suburban part of the network are operated byClass 450,Class 455,Class 458 andClass 701 electric multiple units.
TheHounslow Loop Line, which leaves the main line atBarnes, runs viaBrentford and rejoins the line betweenWhitton andFeltham (with junctions in both directions). Most services on the branch run either between London and Weybridge (described below), or run in a loop from Waterloo to Waterloo via Brentford, Whitton and Richmond (both clockwise and anticlockwise).
TheKingston Loop Line, which branches off at Twickenham, runs via Kingston and joins the South West Main Line at New Malden. Most services on this line run in an anticlockwise loop, from Waterloo to Waterloo, via Putney, Strawberry Hill, Kingston and Wimbledon.
There is also a branch line to Shepperton, however, this is only served by Putney trains at peak times.
TheStaines to Windsor Line, which branches off the main line at Staines-upon-Thames and runs to Windsor & Eton Riverside station. Most services run semi-fast between London and Windsor.
TheChertsey Branch Line, which leaves the main line at Virginia Water and runs to Weybridge. Most services on the line run between London and Weybridge via the Hounslow Loop Line; a few services are extended beyond Weybridge, to and from Woking.
TheAscot to Guildford Line, which is only served by through trains at peak times; these services run between London and Aldershot.
A total of 12 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Putney in the off-peak hours, as of 2021[update]; this number increases in peak hours.[12]
The main route via Wimbledon uses the slow tracks of the quadruple-trackSouth West Main Line. Suburban trains run along the mainline between London and Woking. Branch lines on this route include:[11][12]
TheMole Valley Line, which branches off the main line at Raynes Park and runs via Epsom to Leatherhead, where it splits into two lines: one to Guildford, and one to Horsham via Dorking. SWR runs regular services to both Guildford and Dorking; the section between Dorking and Horsham is operated bySouthern.[14]
TheChessington Branch Line leaves the Mole Valley Line at Motspur Park and runs to Chessington.
TheKingston Loop Line, which leaves the SWML at New Malden, runs via Kingston and joins the Waterloo to Reading line atTwickenham. Most services on this line run in a clockwise loop, from Waterloo to Waterloo, via Wimbledon, Kingston, Strawberry Hill and Putney.
TheShepperton Branch Line, which branches off the Kingston Loop Line at Teddington. Most services on the branch line run between Waterloo and Shepperton via Wimbledon.
TheHampton Court Branch Line, which leaves the main line at Surbiton and runs directly to Hampton Court.
TheNew Guildford Line, which also branches off at Surbiton, running to Guildford via Claygate. The line joins the Guildford branch of the Mole Valley Line at Effingham Junction.
A total of 16 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Wimbledon in the off-peak hours, as of 2021[update]; this number increases in peak hours.[12]
Routes that do not start or terminate at London Waterloo include:[11][12]
TheAscot to Guildford Line, which runs between Ascot and Guildford via Aldershot. Most services on the line run only between Ascot and Guildford, with no extension in either direction; however, some peak-time services run between London and Farnham via Ascot. The shuttle services are usually operated byClass 450 units.
The western section of theWest Coastway Line between Portsmouth and Southampton. Class 450 units are usually in operation on this route.
TheEastleigh–Romsey line between Romsey and Eastleigh. Services on the line are extended beyond Eastleigh to and from Salisbury via Southampton Central and Romsey, in effect calling at Romsey twice. These services are operated byClass 158 units.
TheWessex Main Line between Salisbury and Southampton. Services are extended beyond Southampton via the Eastleigh to Romsey Line, as described above.
Strawberry Hill Train Maintenance Depot in south west London, was built in 1897, is inside the triangular junction of the Shepperton Branch Line with the Kingston Loop Line, just yards fromStrawberry Hill railway station.
^"Southeastern and SWR units head for scrap". News In Brief.Rail Magazine. No. 1048. 12 November 2025. p. 13.
^Pritchard, Robert; Beardsley, Ian (February 2025). "Alstom marks completion of 458/4 refurbishment". Rolling Stock News.Today's Railways UK. No. 276. p. 59.
^Russell, David (September 2025). "Class 458". Units.Rail Express. No. 352. p. 24.
_(XAM-E1).jpg)
_(XAM-E1).jpg)
.jpg)
