Trains serving Petersfield and Liss will be among the first to transfer to public ownership.
It’ll happen at 2am on 25 May 2025.
The government has announced today how it plans to shake-up the railways, It’s targeting South Western Railway as a guinea pig for its new nationalisation plan.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander calls the current system complex and says rail services simply don’t work. She promises a railway the public can trust and be proud of.
How does this benefit passengers?
The government suggests its policy of renationalisation should improve reliability. It also believes it can run the railways more efficiently than private companies to whom it currently pays management fees.
However, there is no suggestion that Petersfield train services will be cheaper, run any faster or be less overcrowded.
Indeed, the government is sticking to plans to increase fares by more than inflation. Regulated fares, including season tickets will go up by 4.6% in April.
It means an annual season ticket between Petersfield and London Waterloo will cost £5,849.
What happens to the railway staff?
Staff who work for South Western Railway will be transferred to work for the state-owned operator.
The announcement comes just days after the previous transport secretary Louise Haigh resigned. She had pleaded guilty to fraud after falsely telling police that her mobile phone had been stolen.
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