South Western Railway progressing with introduction of new fleet of trains

South Western Railway (SWR) is progressing with its project to introduce a new fleet of trains across its network.

The train operator, which serves Windsor, was the first to be transferred back under public ownership in May last year.

This is part of the Department for Transport’s plans to bring passenger services back into public control after 30 years of privatisation.

The programme will see all passenger services, that are operating under contracts with the department, return to public control by the end of 2027.

These services are being transferred after their contracts reach the end of their minimum term.

They will then eventually become integrated into Great British Railways.

South Western Railway has been rolling out its 90-fleet Arterio trains across its network.

This year, the operator is set to introduce three-quarters of its planned Arterio schedules by the end of summer. The operator has already rolled out 30 of its fleet on routes between London Waterloo and Dorking, Guildford, Hampton Court, Windsor, Reading and Shepperton.

The new fleet will be serving 98 stations in total.

SWR has invested £1billion into providing ‘more capacity, quicker journey times and better reliability and punctuality’ for customers.

The Government is continuing with its programme to bring operators back under public control, with many expected to transfer this year.