MORE AND LONGER TRAINS

THE SOUTH WESTERN CAPACITY EXPANSION PROGRAMME

South West Trains runs one of the busiest and most complex railways in Europe - and passenger numbers have more than doubled since the start of the first franchise in 1996. In the busiest morning hours, the passenger totals have increased by more than two-thirds.

But the core South Western railway infrastructure has changed little since the 1930s. With the growth in passengers forecast to continue, a plan has been desperately needed to provide extra capacity.

10-CAR ON THE WINDSOR LINES

A plan to bring in 10-car trains by 2014 for the suburban and Windsor lines was held back due to the restrictions on capacity at Waterloo – but an innovative alternative was developed by Stagecoach, Network Rail and the Department for Transport to provide as much additional capacity as possible, before the major works required at Waterloo. The scheme provides an additional 108 carriages, offering space for 24,000 more passenger journeys into Waterloo in the three-hour peak period.

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