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South West Trains - Mark (28th Mar 2017 - 10:00:21) The BBC and London Evening Standard are reporting that SWT will hand over to a new franchise (First Group and Hong Kong's MTR) in August (right in the middle of the major platform closures at Waterloo!) Wondering if the following promises will include more stops at Liphook? The Department for Transport (DfT) said the new operators would oversee a £1.2bn investment to improve journeys for millions of train passengers. It said the new franchise would add 22,000 extra seats into London Waterloo on every morning peak and 30,000 extra seats each evening peak. Improvements promised under the new contract: 35 additional weekday and Saturday services between Portsmouth & Southsea and London Waterloo More Sunday services Refurbished trains Live information on seating availability and crowding levels via a new mobile phone app. Have to say the staff at Liphook, when they are there, are always very helpful and friendly. Hope they will be OK and may even get more paid hours. Interestingly when I was a having a long and unhelpful conversation with SWT customer services last year they basically said we don't really care, see how you get on with the new owners next year. They seemed to have given up then.

Re: South West Trains - JBS (28th Mar 2017 - 11:18:24) In reading the government Written statement to Parliament on the South Western rail franchise. www.gov.uk/government/speeches/south-western-rail-franchise It seems that the new company has promised all sorts of improvements, whilst still offering more money in fees to the government. Given the past record of civil service negotiators on our behalf, can we believe this? Anecdotally, the current First group record on punctuality and overcrowding, does not inspire confidence! Among those Stagecoach Group employees I have spoken to, where they run along the same tracks as First group trains, the First group timekeeping is "a joke". As they say 'watch this space'.

Re: South West Trains - Paul (29th Mar 2017 - 12:28:11) Somehow I can already hear the phrase "Fares will rise to fund improvements in services" coming our way ....

Re: South West Trains - david king (30th Mar 2017 - 19:27:24) Please be aware that there are buses twixt Haslemere and Guildford this weekend due to rail repairs.

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