South Western Railway is the main operator for western Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, and also serves Greater London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon. Most SWR services run on electrified lines using the 750
VDC third rail system. There is a diesel fleet for services on the
West of England line to Salisbury and Exeter, using the unelectrified track beyond
Worting Junction just west of Basingstoke, and for services from Salisbury to Southampton via Romsey which also serve Eastleigh. From , SWR's London terminus, long-distance trains run to southern England, including the major coastal population centres of Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. There are also trains to Reading and Exeter, but these are not the principal fast services from London to those cities, which are operated from by
Great Western Railway. The majority of SWR's passengers are on suburban commuter lines in inner and south-west London, Surrey, east Berkshire, and north-east Hampshire. As with most rail companies, non-folding bicycles are banned from peak-time trains to and from London. However, these restrictions apply only to cyclists boarding or alighting in the area bounded by Hook, Alton, Guildford, Reading and Dorking, in order to maximise available passenger space on the most crowded trains.
Mainline services SWR operates regular services on four mainline routes: • The
South West Main Line (SWML) runs between London Waterloo and the town of
Weymouth; the route passes through several large towns and cities, including
Woking,
Basingstoke,
Winchester,
Southampton,
Bournemouth,
Poole and
Dorchester. South Western Railway operates trains along the entire length of the line. Almost all trains operated by the company start from or terminate at Waterloo with the exception of a Winchester – Bournemouth / Poole stopping service; these include semi-fast services to/from Southampton and Poole, and express services to/from Weymouth. There are also trains to and from
Portsmouth, which branch off the SWML at
Eastleigh, then proceed via the
Eastleigh to Fareham and
West Coastway lines to Portsmouth Harbour station. • The
Portsmouth Direct line branches off the SWML at Woking and runs to
Portsmouth via
Guildford,
Haslemere,
Petersfield and
Havant. South Western Railway operates all passenger trains on this route; these include fast and semi-fast services between London and Portsmouth, and semi-fast services as far as Haslemere. • The
West of England line is the only mainline route that is not fully electrified. It leaves the SWML at
Basingstoke and runs to
Exeter via
Andover,
Salisbury,
Gillingham and
Yeovil. South Western Railway is the only operator on the line, with most services running between London and either Salisbury or Exeter St Davids. Some peak-time services terminate at various other destinations on the line, including Gillingham and
Yeovil Pen Mill. • The
Alton line leaves the SWML at (just after Woking) and runs to
Alton via
Aldershot and
Farnham. It is the shortest of the four mainline routes and as such it is sometimes considered an outer suburban route instead (but for ticketing purposes, it is classed as a mainline route). Services usually run the full length of the line between London and Alton, though some terminate at Farnham. In total, , there were 14 mainline trains per hour departing London Waterloo in the off-peak hours; this number increases in the peak hours. • The
Chessington Branch Line leaves the Mole Valley Line at Motspur Park and runs to Chessington. • The
Kingston Loop Line, which leaves the SWML at New Malden, runs via Kingston and joins the Waterloo to Reading line at . Most services on this line run in a clockwise loop, from Waterloo to Waterloo, via Wimbledon, Kingston, Strawberry Hill and Putney. • The
Shepperton Branch Line, which branches off the Kingston Loop Line at Teddington. Most services on the branch line run between Waterloo and Shepperton via Wimbledon. • The
Hampton Court Branch Line, which leaves the main line at Surbiton and runs directly to Hampton Court. • The
New Guildford Line, which also branches off at Surbiton, running to Guildford via Claygate. The line joins the Guildford branch of the Mole Valley Line at Effingham Junction. A total of 16 trains per hour run between London Waterloo and Wimbledon in the off-peak hours, ; this number increases in peak hours. == Rolling stock ==