South Western Railway (SWR) have temporarily reduced summer services to allow staff to receive training for the new Arterio trains and prepare for future routes.
Services on London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour, and Weymouth routes saw changes from July 29, to August 29, to get personnel up to speed on the new trains.
Five Arterio trains currently are in service in central London, passing through suburban networks which connect Waterloo to the west and south west of London, and early passenger feedback has been positive.
Claire Collins, 37, who commutes three days a week from Vauxhall to Twickenham, said: “The condition is really amazing. I do like the new trains.
“There’s a lot more space for standing as well, so you can stand in the aisles and don’t worry about bumping into people.
“I would just say [the biggest improvement is] the general speed of the train and there’s more space, specially when you’re on a really busy train.”
Collins added her usual commuting schedule has not been disrupted by the summer schedule changes and the Arterio trains have improved her journey.
The procurement of 90 Arterio trains represents a £1billion investment by SWR aimed at delivering quicker journeys, increasing train capacity, and improving punctuality.
Each train operates with 10 carriages, offering an increased 50% capacity compared to older models, and is expected to significantly improve performance for stations in London.
While summer timetable reductions are temporary, the positive impact of the Arterio trains are expected to be long-lasting.
The finalised train routes are expected to improve the performance of routes into and across London while improving commuters’ experiences.
Featured image: SWR
