The South West Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (SWML RUS) was the first Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) to be produced under the new

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...

regime. As such it did not completely adhere to the format that has subsequently become '

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

', and needs to be read in conjunction with the prior Draft for Consultation. It was published in May 2006 and was included in a map published by the

Office of Rail Regulation The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its a ...

as established in May 2007.May 2007 map of RUSs
For this purpose the South West Main Line covers not only the whole of Network Rail's Route 3 -

South West Main Line The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south wes ...

(with the exception of the Isle of Wight line), but also significant parts of Route 4 - Wessex, specifically Basingstoke to Exeter and routes west of Eastleigh and Redbridge (both near Southampton), as well as the Basingstoke to Reading West line of Route 13 -

Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs between London Paddington and . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. The GWML is presently a part of t ...

. The major issue is overcrowding in the peak periods, but other issues are addressed.

Specific measures recommended

Measures to tackle overcrowding in the peaks

Short term

* Short-term measures to improve mobility in the Waterloo concourse, at the expense of retail space * Selected peak services to be lengthened, consistent with platform lengths available at Waterloo and elsewhere

Medium term

* Sophisticated ticketing and pricing systems to spread the demand during/outside the peaks * Progressive redevelopment of Waterloo, starting with adapting Waterloo International Terminal for domestic use, including accommodating first 10-car, eventually 12-car trains.

Measures to improve the use of existing track capacity

Short term

* Revision of timetables to improve the balance of performance vs scheduled journey times * A revised platforming strategy at Portsmouth Harbour * Modification of service patterns mainly west of Southampton

Medium term

* Development of improved station and intermodal interchange facilities.

Measures to develop freight capacity in the medium term

Upgrading the route for freight from Southampton Container Terminal to Reading West to W10

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

, to handle 9' 6" high by 2.5 metre shipping containers; this was passed to the Freight RUS.

Measures to improve services between Salisbury and Exeter in the medium term

Redoubling of selected stretches of this single-track line to provide an hourly service between Exeter and Waterloo and one extra train per hour between Exeter and Axminster

References

Network Rail {{England-rail-transport-stub