SWR delays and cancellations at Southampton Central

A signalling problem early on Tuesday morning saw South Western Railway (SWR) trains between Romsey and Salisbury, Salisbury and Chandler’s Ford cancelled, with all running through Southampton Central at a reduced speed.

The delays had a knock-on effect, continuing into the afternoon, as replacement buses and taxis worked to fill the gap left by the service.

This was SWR’s first busy day since it was nationalised on Sunday, with Southampton Central transferred to public ownership.

Southampton Central Station (Image: Cristiano Magaglio)

READ MORE: Signal problem causes disruption at Southampton Central

It is the first railway service to do so as part of the Passenger Railways Service (Public Ownership) Act 2024.

One man at Southampton Central station, who did not wish to be named, said: “One day after being brought into public ownership, it’s chaos here at Southampton train station, all the trains are not running.

“Passengers are using taxis – disaster.”

Paul Wise from Freemantle had a job this morning in Bournemouth, which he went to on the train. He said: “It is a lottery. Every time I come here (Southampton Central), I hear there is a problem with the trains and a different reason for it.

“It is stressful and it’s expensive.

“I dread using the trains. It needs sorting out.”

Sylvia Clouder arrived in Southampton from Fleet and was luckily able to get her train on time just as disruption started to ease, but adds that it was packed.

She said: “It was worse than normal. It was really packed in the station.”

Sylvia added that despite SWR being nationalised, she didn’t expect service to change.

READ MORE: Will South Western Railway nationalisation impact commuters?

Sylvia Clouder (Image: NQ) One woman from Hamworthy, 40, said she has faced nothing but delays from SWR the past few days as she waited an hour for her delayed train. She said: “The train is over an hour late, which I am supposed to use to get back home.

“Just got to stand here and grin and bear it.

“I doubt if it (nationalised SWR) will change. It seems like everything you are getting asked to pay loads more and there is no better service for it.”

Taxis queued outside the station (Image: NQ)

A spokesperson for SWR said: “We’re sorry to any passengers in the Southampton area whose journeys may have been disrupted this morning following a fault with the signalling – the railway’s traffic light system – which was affecting services in and out of Southampton Central station.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “These disruptions were caused by a signalling fault and entirely unrelated to South Western Railway’s return to public ownership at the weekend.”