South Western franchise
| Current operator | South West Trains | ||
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| Main Route(s) |
South West Main Line Portsmouth Direct Line West of England Main Line Waterloo to Reading Line |
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| Franchise dates | 4 Feb 1996 – 31 Jan 2004 1 Feb 2004 – 3 Feb 2007 4 Feb 2007 – 19 Aug 2017 20 Aug 2017 – 18 Aug 2024 |
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| Fleet size | 367 | ||
| Stations called at | 213 | ||
| Stations operated | 185 | ||
| Website | www |
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South Western is a railway franchise for the provision of passenger services from London Waterloo to destinations in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire and Wiltshire on the South Western, Portsmouth Direct and West of England main lines. In 2007, the franchise was combined with the smaller franchise for the Island Line on the Isle of Wight.
In December 1995, the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising awarded the franchise to South West Trains, a subsidiary of Stagecoach. Operations started on 4 February 1996.
In April 2001, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) awarded Stagecoach a new franchise after it beat bids from FirstGroup/NedRailways and Sea Containers. The 2001 franchises awarded were (as promulgated) to run for 20 years, but in 2002 the SRA reduced the duration of franchises and South West Trains was awarded a three-year franchise starting on 1 February 2004.
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Wikipedia