This article is about the former operator of the South Western railway franchise. For the current operator, see South Western Railway (train operating company).
South West Trains
Class 444 Desiro at Clapham Junction in 2011
Overview
Franchise(s)
South West 4 February 1996 – 3 February 2007 South Western 4 February 2007 – 20 August 2017
Main region(s)
Greater London
Surrey
Hampshire
Isle of Wight
Dorset
Other region(s)
Berkshire
Wiltshire
Somerset
Devon
Fleet size
373
1 Class 73 electro-diesel locomotive
11 Class 158 Express Sprinter sets
30 Class 159 South Western Turbo sets
45 Class 444 Desiro sets
127 Class 450 Desiro sets
91 Class 455 sets
24 Class 456 sets
36 Class 458 Juniper sets
2 Class 707 Desiro City sets
6 Class 483 sets
Stations called at
213
Stations operated
185 (including Island Line)
Parent company
Stagecoach
Reporting mark
SW
Predecessor
Network SouthEast Island Line (Island Line franchise)
Successor
South Western Railway
Route map
Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited,[1] trading as South West Trains (SWT), was an English train operating company owned by Stagecoach, which operated the South Western franchise between February 1996 and August 2017.
SWT operated the majority of commuter services from its Central London terminus at London Waterloo to South West London and was the key operator for outer suburban and regional services in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset. It also provided regional services in Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight through its Island Line subsidiary. Unlike the majority of franchises, SWT operated without subsidies, being a profitable concern due to the high number of commuters that regularly used its services.[2]
The area of operation was the former South Western division of Network SouthEast, and was also roughly that of the pre-1923 London & South Western Railway (excluding everything west of Exeter). As part of the privatisation of British Rail, SWT was taken over by Stagecoach. In 2004, the franchise was retained by Stagecoach when re-tendered. In 2007, the franchise was merged with the Island Line franchise to form a newly extended South Western franchise, which was won by Stagecoach. When next tendered, the franchise was awarded to South Western Railway which took over the franchise on 20 August 2017.[3]
^"STAGECOACH SOUTH WESTERN TRAINS LIMITED". Companies House. HM Government. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference railmag 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^FirstGroup and MTR welcome South Western rail franchise award Archived 26 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine London Stock Exchange 27 March 2017
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