South Western Rail APPG Letter

Recipient: Sir Andrew Haines OBE, Chief Executive, Network Rail

Dear Andrew,

Re: South Western Railway: Declining Performance and Passenger Experience

I am writing to you in my capacity as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for South Western Railway (SWR) to raise serious concerns about the deteriorating service on the South Western Railway network, and to seek urgent answers about what is being done to address it. Since the nationalisation of SWR’s operations, my constituents, and passengers across the region, have reported a sharp decline in service quality. 

There have been repeated signalling failures causing extensive delays, ongoing overcrowding at peak times, and frequent service disruption. The experience of travelling on SWR has become increasingly stressful, uncomfortable, and unreliable. Passengers rightly expect better, especially given the importance of this rail network to commuters, our economy, and efforts to reduce car usage. Please can you explain why the service has deteriorated so quickly and what is being done to fix these recurring problems?

I would be grateful if you could provide a detailed explanation of the following:

• What steps Network Rail is taking to improve signalling infrastructure and reduce the frequency of failures on the SWR network;
• What joint plans exist between Network Rail and SWR to address persistent overcrowding, particularly during peak travel times;
• What passengers can expect in terms of service improvements and timelines for delivery.

As Chair of the APPG and listening to cross party colleagues who form the APPG, I believe it is vital that passengers are given clear information and accountability is maintained. Members of Parliament expect swift action to be taken to restore confidence in this key railway route.

I look forward to your response

Kind regards, 

Will Forster MP, Dr Al Pinkerton MP and 9 other MPs