FirstGroup celebrated the achievements of South Western Railway (SWR) today and the hundreds of millions of pounds of improvements the operator has seen since 2017.
FirstGroup and MTR have been operating SWR since that year, connecting communities and providing commuter, regional and long-distance services to customers in South West London, the southern counties of England and the Isle of Wight. During that time, passenger volumes increased to a pre-pandemic high of 216m and have recovered to more than 165m today.
Operating more than 1,600 services each weekday and carrying commuter, business and leisure travellers across the region, over the last eight years SWR has increased the size of the workforce which now stands at 5,600 employees.
First MTR South Western Trains Limited will transfer to public control under the DfT Operator (DfTO) on 25 May, in line with the Government’s policy and as announced in December 2024.
Ahead of the transition, First Rail Managing Director Steve Montgomery said it had been a privilege for FirstGroup to have operated SWR since 2017. Over the last eight years FirstGroup have delivered investment in SWR’s rolling stock including a £70m refurbishment of the existing Desiro fleet; a new depot at Feltham; and launching the new Arterio fleet. While the Arterio roll out has been slower than expected due to a number of factors largely beyond FirstGroup’s control, the number of new trains on the network is set to double by the early summer, replacing older rolling stock and giving good momentum to the business in future.
Alongside rolling stock upgrades, FirstGroup have delivered improvements to stations along the route and a further £26m investment in the transformation of the Isle of Wight’s railway, including a new fleet of trains and refurbished stations and the pier at Ryde.
Customers across the network have benefited from the introduction of smartcards and subsequently the Tap2Go service, allowing customers to access the best fares by capping prices to the equivalent weekly season ticket price. New tickets have been introduced including the popular Evening Out fares; and new loyalty scheme SWR Rewards has allowed customers to take advantage of discounts from shops, restaurants and West End attractions.
As the operator is handed over, advanced 5G services have been introduced for passengers to use on 70km of line between Basingstoke and Earlsfield giving a best-in-class Wi-Fi experience for customers thanks to the installation of new equipment by FirstGroup.
First Rail Managing Director Steve Montgomery said: “Passengers have been at the forefront of service improvement throughout our eight year stewardship of these important routes. We are proud of how SWR brings people together across the south east of England.
“Improving the infrastructure, customer experience and rolling stock across the service has enabled us to deliver for our passengers, who make 165m journeys each year. Right up until the final weeks we have continued to innovate, with a new fast Wi-Fi service being rolled out.
“I would like to thank our SWR passengers for their custom during this time. Above all, I would like to say thanks to our SWR colleagues for their hard work and dedication to our customers and recognise the important role all those across the business have played in delivering these improvements to the service. We are supporting DfTO to ensure a smooth transition and we wish passengers, partners and colleagues every success for the future.”
