BTM to Waterloo - route facing axe

[AJR]

Ref.: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4415624.stm

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Rail route to London facing axe

A rail campaign group says it is concerned that a popular route could be discontinued after new plans were released by the government.
The South West Public Transport Users' Forum (SWPTUF) says it is "very disappointed" the Bristol to Waterloo route could be axed.

They say the route is popular with passengers who travel from the city through west Wiltshire to the capital.

The Department for Transport (DfT) says the service is "lightly used".

They added that according to a recent survey the route accounts for 35 return journeys a day, and that there were alternative services.

The new South Western franchise will amalgamate the current services provided by South West Trains and Island Line on the Isle of Wight.

The DfT says the new service will provide initiatives to reduce crowding, increase capacity and provide new refurbished carriages.

[mow]

Also in the Bristol Evening Post.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayN ... erPk=83726

[AndyK]

The Department for Transport (DfT) says the service is "lightly used".

They added that according to a recent survey the route accounts for 35 return journeys a day, and that there were alternative services.
.

I used this service several times a couple of years ago and on each occasion the train was full. It was particularly popular with passengers from Bradford, Trowbridge and Warminster, who wouldn't otherwise have had a through London service. I used it because it offered the cheapest fare to London and I didn't mind a longer journey.

At that time everything was done to make the service as fast as possible - for instance not stopping at Salisbury. I believe the journey time is considerably longer nowadays, which may account for the fall-off in popularity.

[Graham]

I'm sure that there is one big reason that ridership numbers aren't as high as they should be. Going to the journey planner on National Rail's website, typing in Bristol Temple Meads to London Waterloo returns a page with only FGW services to Paddington with a change on the Underground. This is a mistake - who'd want to pay so much more to go to the effort of getting lost on the Underground to get to Waterloo? The only trains which should appear on the results page should be via Salisbury- but sadly, if you want this, you manually have to type "Salisbury" in the "via" box on the advanced options page.

Not many people will know how to do this, and I'm pretty sure everyone would want to take this cheaper and more pleasant route. The fact that direct trains don't even show up should really need to be changed. Also, I feel the route should be publicised much more.

Finally, South West Trains must realise that not everyone wants to go to Waterloo just for connections to Eurostar services. I'd prefer to go to Waterloo than Paddington because it is cheaper and closer to the city's attractions.