South Western trains strike: When is it and what services are cancelled?

Strikes affecting Great Western Railway routes will occur on Saturday 4 August

Strikes affecting South Western Railway continue into August and September (South Western Railways)

The summer of travel strikes continues with industrial action affecting South Western Railway (SWR) routes taking place on Saturday 4 August.

This is in addition to further strikes throughout August and the beginning of September.

Action will apply across the network and impact journeys into London terminating at Waterloo, Victoria, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon and Richmond stations.

When are the strikes taking place?

Strike action will take place between 12.01am and 11.59pm on Saturday 4 August, Saturday 11 August, Saturday 18 August and over two days beginning at 12.01am on Friday 31 August and finishing at 11.59pm on Saturday 1 September 2018.

Which services are cancelled?

The following routes have no SWR service on Saturday 4 August:

• Epsom to Dorking - use Southern Services
• Salisbury to Bristol – use Great Western Railway (GWR) services
• Westbury to Yeovil Junction (via Frome) – use GWR services
• Yeovil Junction to Weymouth – travel from Yeovil Pen Mill using GWR services
• Between Surbiton and Hampton Court – use Transport for London (TfL) buses
• Between Teddington and Shepperton – use TFL buses. Local buses may be available, but SWR tickets will not be valid on these services. 
• Salisbury to Chandler's Ford via Southampton Central. Local buses may be available, but SWR tickets will not be valid on these services.  
• Between Surbiton and Guildford via Cobham. Local buses may be available, but SWR tickets will not be valid on these services.  
• Between Epsom and Guildford. Local buses may be available, but SWR tickets will not be valid on these services. 
• Berrylands Stations - use TfL buses

Are any rail replacement bus services available?

Yes. On Saturday 4 August, the following routes will operate a rail replacement bus service:

• Between Exeter St Davids and Salisbury (replacement buses will call at Gillingham, Sherborne, Yeovil Junction, Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton, Exeter Central and Exeter St Davids). A bus will also run between Honiton and Exeter serving smaller stations
• Between Farnborough and Alton
• Between Worcester Park and Chessington South (early morning and late evening only)
• Between Virginia Water and Weybridge
• Between Ascot and Aldershot

Can I use my ticket on other rail or bus 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 to help you connect with our services:

• 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 to connect with our trains.

Southern

You can use your South Western Railway ticket, including advance tickets on Southern Rail train services between Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central, to help you connect with our trains.

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

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 maintain 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 Railways website.

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