How Good Are South West Trains?

I should point out that I really like public transport. e.g. I travel on the tube a fair bit, and I think I'm more forgiving than your average commuter, which is why in a way it pains me to write this.

Basically, South West Trains recently have had so many problems and delays that I simply just wondered how much of my life I'm wasting away waiting for on platforms for late trains, or sat on trains not moving anyway and/or crawling along at a painstaking pace.

I'm not out and out saying "They're shit", because sometimes they do work. Sometimes.

But I think it should be more often than it does, as I can't remember the last time that I went more than two days in a row without being delayed.

So all I'm doing here is giving a honest account of how my journey is or isn't affected by them, and you can decide for yourself whether the £2000 I spend a year trying to get to work and back each day is really worth it or not.

This index page now links off to the separate sections that I've written about South West Trains.

2004 log

The log of the journeys that I kept throughout the first half of 2004, was a direct result of the appalling service that happened during the first couple of weeks of January. I wanted to know how much time of my life I was wasting waiting for late & delayed trains, and so logged every journey that I made from January to July 2004.

more> The 2004 journey log

New Timetable

In December 2004, South West Trains brought in a brand new timetable which was much helped to solve all the problems that I'd been logging! Here's my experience of the first two weeks of the new timetable.

more> The new timetable

Ten things ...

A 'Geofftech ten things', of what pisses me off about South West Trains.

more> Annoyances

Links

I'm not the only person who writes online about their SWT experiences!

For an amusing tale but also some honestly shocking treatment of what one passenger had to endure, read this weblog, by Tim Ireland followed by this one that he wrote a short while later. He too is a frustrated SWT passenger. Sorry - I mean, customer.

Also check out Toby's webpages where he's doing a similar thing by keeping track of the time that he's had wasted by late trains.

I've also now discovered a site by Mooserot where he is also blogging his journeys, and gives me, Tim and Toby a plug too! Anyone else want to join in? Go on - you know you want to.

The South Hampshire Rail users group has plenty of write-ups over the past few months and a lot of observation of real failures, incidents, and what SWT say compated to what happens in real life!

:: Rants page

:: Geofftech Homepage

I've been a regular commuter from the suburbs of South West London into the centre of town (Waterloo) when I first started work there in 1992.

I've lived in Guildford, Worcester Park, Surbiton and Epsom over the last 11 years, and I'm afraid to honestly say that the train service is now at the worst level that I can ever remember it being.

This webpage is initially to allow me to keep track of how much time of my life South West Trains have cost me, but I have no doubt that it will expand in the future. Keep checking back.

I've found a weblog of a driver on SWT who gives an excellent insight into what really happens behind the scences.

http://south-west-trains.blogspot.com/

His opening paragraph reads:

"Is South West Trains REALLY what its published as being? No not really, beneath the cosy shell, there is a real lack of teamwork between the lower ranks, and this blog will hopefully show that at the end of the day most staff try to abuse their power!"