PASSENGERS can expect faster journey times from Weymouth to London under a new rail franchise.

Stagecoach Group had run the franchise covering southern England including the Weymouth-Waterloo line for many years under South West Trains but lost out to First Group.

New franchise owners First MTR South Western Trains Limited have said that passengers will benefit from more space and faster trains when they take over the franchise on August 20.

The company said it was the first franchise awarded since the Transport secretary Chris Grayling set out his vision for the future of the railways in December, and marks a “new era in joined up working between train operators and Network Rail.”

First MTR South Western Trains Limited said they will oversee a £1.2 billion investment that will “improve journeys for millions of train passengers, and provide a boost for the communities served.” They added that passengers would see:

• Refurbished trains with charging sockets, new seat covers and refreshed toilets.

• Faster journeys across the network. Journeys to London will be 8 minutes faster from Southampton, 14 minutes faster from Weymouth, 9 minutes faster from Bournemouth and 10 minutes faster from Exeter.

• 29 additional weekday and Saturday services between Portsmouth and Southsea and Southampton Central, including additional and faster Peak services ( from December 2018.)

• 35 additional weekday and Saturday services between Portsmouth and Southsea and London Waterloo.

• More Sunday services across the network, with many routes having the equivalent of a Saturday service after 1pm.

The Government say they are “investing in the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century” to improve services. The new franchise will offer 100 apprenticeships a year.

Passengers will be given more information on their journey and the new franchise will include:

• New Delay Repay compensation, including for delays of 15 minutes or more, and with automatic claims for smart card season tickets and advance purchased tickets bought in advance through their digital channels.

• Free Wi-Fi at all stations and on-board mainland trains.

• Investment in station improvements including refurbished waiting rooms, additional seating, improvements for step-free access, and 60 electric vehicle charging points.

• New smart card, automatically offering the cheapest walk-up single or day return fare.

• New Flexible Season Tickets, offering a discount for passengers travelling fewer than five days a week.

• Season, single and return tickets on Smart Cards across all of the franchise.

• New discount for purchasing 12 consecutive monthly season tickets.

• New Student Connect smart ticket for 16-18 year olds, offering one-third off weekly or longer tickets, and further term-time discounts for under 16s.

• At least 1,500 new car park spaces.

• Over 40% reduction in energy use at stations and depots

FirstGroup Chief Executive Tim O'Toole said: “We are delighted that our partnership with MTR has been selected by the Department for Transport to run the South Western rail franchise, a key part of the country’s railway network which millions of people rely on every day.

“Our successful bid will deliver the tangible improvements that customers and stakeholders have told us they want from this franchise. Passengers can look forward to new and better trains, more seats and services, quicker journey times, improved stations and more flexible fare options.”

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said they were disappointed to have been unsuccessful in their bid and said they had been proud to have operated the network under the South West Trains brand for more than 20 years.

He said: "Over the past two decades, we have delivered real improvements for our customers right across the network. That success has been built on fantastic people, detailed knowledge of the business and strong relationships with our stakeholders and railway partners. But we have never thought our job was finished.”

He thanked all their employees and partners who had been involved in delivering their vision over the past 20 years.