FASTER Weymouth-Waterloo trains and direct services to Portsmouth are promised as a new operator takes over the rail franchise – ending a 20 year operation by South West Trains.

Stagecoach Group, which has been in charge of the South Western railway franchise through its South West Trains brand for two decades, has lost its bid for a new deal beginning this summer.

The government has instead chosen First MTR South Western Trains Limited, a partnership between FirstGroup and MTR which runs the Hong Kong Metro to run the franchise for at least seven years.

It says passengers will benefit from more space and faster trains under its ownership. FirstGroup also operates Great Western Railway, which includes the Weymouth to Bristol line.

First MTR South Western Trains Limited said that over the course of the franchise, £1.2bn will be invested to “improve every aspect of train journeys on the south western network.” Improvements will include: refurbished trains with charging sockets, faster journey times with journeys to London being 14 minutes faster from Weymouth, from December 2018 - a direct cross-country service from Weymouth to Portsmouth and more Sunday services across the network.

Currently the fastest Weymouth-Waterloo train takes just under 2 hours 45 minutes.

FirstGroup said it would be working closely with Network Rail to deliver the 14-minute time saving – the company will be looking at “shorter dwell times at stations and less waiting time at signals.”

The new franchise will start on August 20 and run until at least August 2024.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling they were delivering the “biggest rail modernisation programme” for more than a century, adding the franchise would deliver “real changes” for passengers.

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, free wi-fi in stations and on-board, £90m station improvements and new season ticket options.

The average age of the entire train fleet will be coming down by almost half by December 2020.

FirstGroup Chief Executive Tim O'Toole said they the firm was delighted its partnership with Hong-Kong company MTR had been selected.

He said: “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 the company was disappointed to have been unsuccessful in its bid. He said the firm had been "proud" to have operated the network under the South West Trains brand for more than 20 years.

He said the company had delivered “real improvements” for customers and said he believed they had submitted a “strong bid” for the new franchise. Mr Griffiths said they would be “seeking detailed feedback” from the Department for Transport on their bid.

PANEL

IN the spring 2016 Transport Focus report, Great Western Railway had an overall satisfaction rating of 84 per cent and South West Trains has 82 per cent overall satisfaction, for punctuality, GWR scored 77 per cent and SWT scored 75 per cent.

PANEL

THE plans for faster services have been welcomed.

South Dorset MP Richard Drax has campaigned for faster trains to the capital. He said he welcomed the announcement. He added that he had spoken to FirstGroup who told him the free wi-fi would be five times faster than the existing wi-fi. Mr Drax also welcomed the faster journey time to Waterloo and the refurbishment of trains. He said in particular the new services direct to Portsmouth was “very good news.”

However, he said he would still be lobbying for faster trains via Yeovil to Salisbury and for improvements to Weymouth train station.

He said: “The new operators are promising a transformation of the network, which, judging from passenger group complaints about reliability and seating space, was sorely needed.”

He added: “All I would ask is that the entire length of the routes are examined. There is a viable plan to cut at least 30 minutes of the journey time from Waterloo to Weymouth by running the line via Salisbury. This requires a modest amount of investment and would bring maximum dividends. 

"The Government, the Local Enterprise Partnership and Dorset County Council are all looking at the opportunities this would bring to South Dorset and I have written today to the new train operator to lobby for this essential improvement and also for new investment in Weymouth station itself.”

Dorset County Council spokesman for environment, infrastructure and highways, Cllr Peter Finney, welcomed the news that there would be 14 minutes off the journey time from Weymouth to Waterloo.

He said: “It’s a very positive outcome. I hope they can provide that. Clearly what we want is a faster service from Weymouth.”

He added: “Anything that improves the speed of trains through to Waterloo is to be applauded.”

Peter Smith, a member of the Western Area Transport Action Group, said their key concerns were that trains and buses still met up at Axminster and Dorchester South Station and that through-ticketing was still available.