SWT 1999 timetable vs 2004

[nw1]

Thanks to a tip off from a forum member on another thread I've recently discovered the Working Timetables archive of Network Rail (from 1994): https://history.networkrail.co.uk/uncategorized/SO_506bb63b-dadf-497e-901d-1673556bcffd

This has been interesting as, while I generally remember the 90s service pattern of early SWT, there were a couple of gaps.

The 1999 timetable was a particularly interesting one. Who else remembers this? This was the point at which SWT introduced high-frequency timetables on many routes, e.g. 15-min frequency down the Portsmouth Direct and 15-min Waterloo-Southampton. It allowed for 16tph out of Waterloo on the fast lines, though most hours there was only 15. The pattern on the fast lines was (with typical stock where this might not be obvious):

xx00 Wareham fast

xx03 Salisbury (only used at 1503 and 1603. By 2001, however this had become hourly all day)

xx08 Portsmouth Harbour fast, calling at Petersfield. Still 442s on the fasts, if I remember right

(xx09 455 stopper to Woking, though on the slow lines)

xx10 Basingstoke stopper

xx15 Southampton fast, now mostly 442s IIRC, backed up by the WTT. Earlier in the 90s there were several 159 diagrams on the equivalent xx10 service.

xx20 Alton, fast to Woking, Ash Vale and all. The 1hr03 journey time seemed typical of the 90s, the Alton line appeared to get more priority at this time than it does now

xx23 Portsmouth. Odd pattern, Clapham, Woking, Guildford, Farncombe, fast to Haslemere (no Godalming stop!) then all stations except Hilsea. Generally CIGs or CEPs, few or no VEPs

xx26 Guildford stopper, fast to Surbiton then all. VEP, I think. This one I had forgotten the existence of before discovering the WTT but it's now coming back to me.

xx30 Weymouth fast. The one constant through the post-1967 era is the almost unchanging departure time of the prime Weymouth service.

xx35 Exeter every two hours, other hours generally to Gillingham or Yeovil

xx38 Portsmouth fast, this one stopped at Godalming rather than Petersfield

(xx39 Woking stopper, slow lines)

xx40 Portsmouth (via Eastleigh) stopper, all from Woking. In a later version of the timetable, this terminated at Basingstoke, replaced by a diversion of the xx15 to Portsmouth via Eastleigh, restoring the semi-fast service introduced in 1990 but withdrawn in around 1994.

xx45 Poole stopper, but used the classic stopping pattern of the former Poole at xx50 (CJ, Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, Eastleigh, Parkway). Looped at SOU and again at BCU. Much like the xx39 of the normal contemporary timetable. CIGs or CEPs

xx48 Farnham, similar to Alton but additional calls at CJ and Brookwood

xx53 Portsmouth stopper. This one called all to Haslemere, then looped to allow xx08 fast to overtake, then most stops to Portsmouth (not Rowlands Castle, Bedhampton)

xx56 Guildford stopper, as xx26

The 15tph, which then became 16tph by 2001 with the Salisbury going hourly, was impressive. This was actually better than the 2004 timetable which by my calculations was 14tph.

However there were some odd patterns on the Portsmouth Direct. The aim seemed to squeeze 4 tph down to Portsmouth Harbour but the price of that was uneven patterns to both Godalming and Petersfield, both of which got two trains 15 mins apart from Waterloo then nothing, even with changing.

Later on within the 1999-2004 period the same basic pattern remained but one of the Portsmouth stoppers (the xx23, IIRC) became a Haslemere terminator calling all Guildford to Haslemere, while the xx53 called at Farncombe, Godalming and Haslemere. This restored even interval services to Godalming and Petersfield.

A few other comments/questions:

- perhaps this was the last occasion when Portsmouth Direct fasts were considered mandatory express stock, as all services were IIRC either 442s or Greyhound CIG/BEP combos.

- the main difference from the 1999 timetable (or its 16tph 2001 variant) and the 2004 in terms of services running (obviously there were retimings too) seems to be the removal of the Guildford stoppers (xx26 and xx56 in 1999). This has necessitated adding Walton, Weybridge and/or West Byfleet stops in Basingstoke and Alton stoppers. So why did the 2004 timetable not keep these? They were a useful way of keeping the longer distance services faster by mopping up all the local stops up-line from Woking.

- as a result Alton line services were considerably slower since 2004, typically 1hr13 or 1hr14 from Waterloo. This was partly as a result of additional stops but also getting a poor path, such that it's quicker to get the following xx00 and change at Woking. So why were Altons seen as a priority for fast service in the 90s (starting 1989 in fact) but not so much since?

- what was the rationale for the slightly bizarre service pattern on the Direct, why didn't they go with the "two fasts, one slow, one Haslemere terminator" from the outset in 1999, which IMO is a very sensible service pattern?

 

[Snow1964]

Hated that timetable, increased the frequency but slowed down just about every train, even the inner surburban was slowed (without a frequency increase), I lived near Norbiton at the time. Actually lost the Kingston semi-fasts. It was the trash the inner suburban to add a few more mainline paths timetable. Hated by every commuter within about 20 miles of Waterloo.

Still cannot beat the 1979 timetable for quicker journeys (which was the one after speed limit around New Malden was raised from 65mph, Brockenhurst resignalling, and general speeding up of services.

 

[nw1]

Hated that timetable, increased the frequency but slowed down just about every train, even the inner surburban was slowed (without a frequency increase), I lived near Norbiton at the time. Actually lost the Kingston semi-fasts. It was the trash the inner suburban to add a few more mainline paths timetable. Hated by every commuter within about 20 miles of Waterloo.

Sorry... I had it as a draft, didn't realise it had been posted. It was incomplete! Will continue editing now.

Anyhow.. as a longer distance traveller I missed these problems, so on balance it was probably good. One feature of both the 1999 timetable and its 20-min headway 1997 predecessor was very much better connections at Parkway between the St Denys and Swaythling local services and Waterloo fasts. Since 2004 these have been notably poor.

In particular the even 30-min frequency of fast Southampton and Bournemouth services was nice, something thankfully retained. The 15-min service to Southampton was not as useful as it looked though, as the fast services caught up the slower services. Good way to speed up the Dorset-bound services though, as it allowed the xx00 to miss stops compared to its xx50 predecessor.

As I said above, while the 15-min service to Guildford was good, the service pattern south of Guildford was a bit bizarre.

Still cannot beat the 1979 timetable for quicker journeys (which was the one after speed limit around New Malden was raised from 65mph, Brockenhurst resignalling, and general speeding up of services.

Not sure if you had it to hand, but would be interesting to see a summary of changes made in 1979 if significant. Presumably the basic pattern out of Waterloo was more or less unchanged?

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Hated that timetable, increased the frequency but slowed down just about every train

My memory is a bit vague now, but the 2004 re-write was I believe the first 'start from fresh' timetable since the 1967 Bournemouth line electrification. Also, wasn't it about the time that the DfT started to micro manage TOC plans, by way of penalties for poor timekeeping, hence the new timetable was planned in a way that gave a more robust overall plan, and also that picx..(something?) regime that required TOCs to better match seating capacity with peak time passenger loadings?
Whilst much of the detail escapes me, reading between the lines I did detect a smattering of hypocrisy by certain MP's and a minority of their constituents when they leapt out their prams about changes to address timekeeping and overcrowding, changes that were essentially at the behest of the DfT !
Did I say somewhere else that the planners could never win.

 

[nw1]

My memory is a bit vague now, but the 2004 re-write was I believe the first 'start from fresh' timetable since the 1967 Bournemouth line electrification.

It was certainly a big re-write though there were a number of big changes between 1988 and 1999. However perhaps because these were incremental changes (albeit significant in some cases) they don't count as rewrites, as such.

 

[DelW]

My recollection (which might be faulty, given the passage of time) is that SWT had several tries at a timetable for the Direct, starting from the last BR version (departure from Waterloo at 00, 20, & 40) and ending with the one that lasted until Covid (departure from Waterloo at 00, 15, 30, & 45).
The worst, for me at least, was one that involved a unit shuttling between Guildford and Haslemere. That provided the 1tph each way at Milford and Witley, and the second train per hour at Farncombe and Godalming (the other being the Pompey stopper). This meant that Milford and Witley had no through services beyond Guildford and Haslemere, while Farncombe and Godalming only had one each hour. In theory the shuttle connected with fast(er) services at each end, but my recollection is that the connections weren't particularly well timed, or necessarily convenient, especially at Guildford. I think it only lasted a short while.
Both SWT and SWR promised 4tph on the Direct, but neither delivered on the promise. Indeed it looks likely that we'll be stuck with 2tph for the foreseeable future, as a result of SWR's rush to dispose of stock without having working replacements, and DfT's slash and burn approach to timetabling.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

The problem with timetable planning in an area where (part) of a route needs a mix of fast and stopping services, is that there will almost always be an imbalance of clock face departures from some stations, as I'm sure most here will understand. With the SW network recast (2004) I believe certain criteria dictated some parts of the plan, such as other TOC's services (XC to Poole, North Downs - at Guildford, and freights), as they existed at the time, were given first priority on the blank sheet of paper, on the basis that they would not wish to change their services just because SWT was doing a recast.
That in itself will have driven SWT hourly pathing at certain locations. Other steps to maximise capacity were things such as Junction planning, ie: services to (Down)/from (Up) Pompey were designed to pass each other across Woking Junction simultaneously, so thereby minimising paths occupied across that very busy junction. The very nature of what is a commuter railway, therefore dictated that Woking Junction to Waterloo is the core part of the network, if maximum capacity is to be made best use of, and that core section will no doubt have taken priority to get the best (overall) plan on paper in the first instant. There would have followed a series of adjustments to make the best of connections at various locations. One such that was always never ideal, was Weybridge, whereby there are a number of connectional opportunities, but to my knowledge only a percentage of those could ever be made to be what one might call 'ideal', as in not too much hanging around when changing trains. Of course, some services serving Weybridge, then had to slot in at Virginia Water, and it goes on.........the principle of planning (in my experience) was to come to a conclusion that met the aspirations of a maximum of stakeholders, but there will always be those for whom the result doesn't work!

Forgive me if I'm preaching to the converted in some cases.

 

[nw1]

My recollection (which might be faulty, given the passage of time) is that SWT had several tries at a timetable for the Direct, starting from the last BR version (departure from Waterloo at 00, 20, & 40) and ending with the one that lasted until Covid (departure from Waterloo at 00, 15, 30, & 45).

Thanks to the WTTs on Network Rail (which I linked upthread) I can fill in the full details.

The 00,20,40 timetable was introduced in May 1995. The xx00 was the 'traditional' fast with Haslemere and Petersfield stops, and the xx40 a super-fast (non-stop Guildford to Havant). The xx20 was all stations beyond Guildford except Milford and Witley, which were provided by the shuttle you mention below.

In May 1997 the shuttle became a through (slower) service to and from Waterloo, looped at Guildford to allow the super-fast to pass.

The worst, for me at least, was one that involved a unit shuttling between Guildford and Haslemere. That provided the 1tph each way at Milford and Witley, and the second train per hour at Farncombe and Godalming (the other being the Pompey stopper).

This was present from May 1995 to May 1997, as discussed above.

This meant that Milford and Witley had no through services beyond Guildford and Haslemere, while Farncombe and Godalming only had one each hour.

To be fair this also happened in the 80s, and I believe the 70s also; there was a through service to Waterloo but it was looped at Guildford to allow the fast to pass so effectively a change was required to do the journey in a time-efficient way.

Both SWT and SWR promised 4tph on the Direct, but neither delivered on the promise.

1999 did give 4tph as discussed above, but to me it was an odd and uneven timetable for some stations ,notably Godalming and Petersfield. The timetable which makes most logical sense to me is the 2 fast, one slow, and one slow Haslemere terminator that has prevailed in recent years. Once SWR sort out its stock and staff problems, one would hope that will come back.

Does anyone remember the timetable which applied, briefly, between September 1994 and May 1995? In 1993, the service had been cut back to 2tph south of Guildford (one fast one stopping) but in September 1994, a quirky hourly Waterloo-Haslemere service (usually a single 4VEP) was introduced, non-stop to/from Guildford via Cobham then all stations to/from Haslemere. In the down direction this was looped at Guildford to allow the fast to pass (and provide even interval 2tph to Farncombe and Godalming) but in the up direction this immediately followed the up Portsmouth stopper from Haslemere. So Godalming and Farncombe had 2tph to Waterloo very close to each other then nothing.

While the down service was useful, the up service was very strangely timed.

 

[DelW]

Thanks to the WTTs on Network Rail (which I linked upthread) I can fill in the full details.

Thanks for the detailed comments and confirmations.

I didn't actually remember the 1999 4tph timetable, though the likelihood is that I must have used it at times. I suppose that the mixed stopping patterns, and some overtakes, meant that most stations didn't really see 4 usable services per hour.

My memory is that the incoming Stagecoach-era management had promised 4tph to Portsmouth, and the 1999 timetable is presumably their attempt at delivering that. I assume that it was found to be unreliable in practice, for whatever reason, leading to the replacement of one through train by the Haslemere terminator.

The mix of two semifast, one stopper, and one short working per off-peak hour did indeed work generally successfully, and I hope it returns in due course.

I don't remember that 1994-5 timetable, but I only moved to the southern end of the Direct in December 1994, and I'm not sure I'd have used the trains straight away.

Incidentally, I'm not convinced that anything on the Direct has ever deserved the epithet "super-fast", but I understand what you mean .

 

[nw1]

Thanks for the detailed comments and confirmations.

No worries!

I didn't actually remember the 1999 4tph timetable, though the likelihood is that I must have used it at times. I suppose that the mixed stopping patterns, and some overtakes, meant that most stations didn't really see 4 usable services per hour.

True, as I said the 4tph as far as Guildford was a good idea, but a 15-45 min pattern for both Godalming and Petersfield was a bit bizarre.

My memory is that the incoming Stagecoach-era management had promised 4tph to Portsmouth, and the 1999 timetable is presumably their attempt at delivering that. I assume that it was found to be unreliable in practice, for whatever reason, leading to the replacement of one through train by the Haslemere terminator.

To be fair 4tph with a regular-interval service is theoretically possible by the looks of things, as the Haslemere terminator in recent times generally did extend to Portsmouth in the afternoon shoulder-peak by looping at Haslemere. Presumably if there was demand (which I'm sceptical about) they could have done that all day.

Incidentally, I'm not convinced that anything on the Direct has ever deserved the epithet "super-fast", but I understand what you mean .

The nature of the line (hilly and not straight) precludes true "super fast" working I guess, but the lack of stops between Guildford and Havant, including an unprecedented-in-modern-times omission of Haslemere, is indeed what I'm getting at. In fact in the early 80s the then fast service to Portsmouth (which for a few years omitted Petersfield, but not Haslemere) was announced at Guildford as "the VERY fast train".