Latest News & Events

23rd December 2011 - SWT announce future plans to increase capacity

South West Trains and the Department for Transport have today announced plans to impcrease capacity on the SWT Network over 2013/2014
From May 2013 SWT will be receiving the redundant Class 460 units from Gatwick Express, which will be split up and used to extend the class 458s currently used on Reading services from 4 to 5 cars. This will allow trains on the 'Windsor Lines' to be extended from 8 to 10 coaches. Platform 20 at Waterloo will also be brought into use during 2014.
This increase in capacity will free up some class 450 units, which can then be used to lengthen trains on 'Main Line' services.
The highlight for the Alton line is that some of these displaced units will be used to lengthen some evening peak trains from Waterloo from 8 to 12 coaches. Exact details haven't been announced, but ALUA hopes this will include both the 1725 and 1825, which currently experience severe overcrowding.
The full press release can be viewed on the SWT Website.

7th November 2011

Many readers will be aware of the current cable-theft problem affecting the rail network, which has caused increasing disruption and misery as the price of metal continues to climb.
There is an E-Petition on the Government E-Petitions website, requesting that the government change the Scrap Metal Merchants Act 1964 to ban cash transactions.
This would make it more difficult for thieves to sell on stolen cable, and ensure that there was an audit trail for all transactions.
The petition currently stands at over 24,000 signatures. If it reaches 100,000, it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons, we would encourage all rail users to sign it.
Click here to view and sign the petition.

10th September 2011 - SWT Webchat

South West Trains are running another online 'webchat' on Thursday 15th September, 2pm-4pm.
These webchats provide an opportunity to ask questions and get answers directly from SWT managers, and are a useful forum for airing views about the train service, fares, station facilities etc.
For full details of how to take part, see the SWT website.

10th September 2011 - Ticket offices under threat?

The recent 'McNulty Report,' analysing the value-for-money of Britain's rail network, has proposed that ticket offices at Category E stations should be considered for complete closure.
Category E stations are those which are generally only staffed for a short period each day, and include Bentley, North Camp, Frimley, Ash and Bagshot.
Closure of these ticket offices and de-staffing of the stations would also result in other facilities, such as waiting rooms and toilets, no longer being available for passengers.
ALUA strongly believe that staff on stations are essential to provide information and assistance to passengers, as well as discouraging vandalism and antisocial behaviour.
Although no formal closure proposals have been made for any of our local stations at present, ALUA will strongly object to any that do arise.

9th August 2011 - Engineering Work at Bentley

Extensive engineering works are taking place at Bentley Station each weekend from now until the end of September. The track is being taken up, the track bed excavated and the existing track replaced. The footbridge will stay open but the rail crossing will be closed overnight and every Sunday from now until September 15th.
Those living close to the track along the south side of Station Road will experience considerable noise at night until the work is completed.

26th June 2011 - Upcoming Engineering Work

Engineering work will affect the Alton Line on several weekends in July/August.

All day: 9th/10th Jul, 16th/17th Jul and 23rd Jul - Buses replace trains between Aldershot and Alton. Buses will call at the Star Inn in Bentley, not at the station.
From 20:00 on 6th Aug and all day 7th Aug - Buses replace trains between Farnham and Alton.
From 20:00 on 13th Aug until 12:15 on 14th Aug - Buses replace trains between Farnham and Alton.
Sunday 28th Aug - Buses replace trains between Aldershot and Alton. Buses will call at the Star Inn in Bentley, not at the station.

For full details, see the Engineering Work section of the SWT Website. Note that all details are subject to change.

15th June 2011 - Steam on the Alton Line

For anyone interested in seeing something a little different on the Alton Line, Steam Dreams are running a steam railtour from Alton to Canterbury on Sunday 19th June.
The train will be hauled by ex-LMS 8F No 48151 and will be departing Alton at 0940, calling at Farnham at 0959, Aldershot at 1007 and passing through Ash Vale at 1014. The return leg will be diesel-hauled.

15th June 2011 - Delay Compensation for 6th-9th June

After the severe disruption caused by the signalling failures on Monday 6th June and vandalism on Thursday 9th June, South West Trains have now announced compensation arrangements for affected passengers.
Monthly or longer season ticket holders will receive a half void-day for each of Monday and Thursday, which will be paid when the ticket expires or is renewed.
Holders of weekly seasons and other tickets will be compensated in accordance with the usual Passengers Charter compensation arrangements, which require passengers to fill in a form and send it to the Customer Service centre.
SWT have also advised that they will consider other claims (such as expenses incurred for making alternative travel arrangements) on a case-by-case basis.
For full details and instructions on how to claim, see the SWT website.

30th May 2011 - Notes from the ALUA AGM

The 2011 ALUA AGM took place on Wednesday 18th May in Farnham.
Jason Murphy, Group Station Manager for the Alton line stations, kindly agreed to come along and take questions from the floor.
The notes from the AGM and a summary of Jason's responses to questions can be downloaded below.

Click To Download (MS Word Format). To save to disk, right-click and select 'Save Target As' from the menu.

17th April 2011 - ALUA AGM

The ALUA Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 18th May at 7:30pm.

The venue has changed from previous years, and the meeting will be held at the United Reformed Church, South St, Farnham, GU9 7QU. (Click for map)
The church is approximately 10 minutes walk from Farnham station. From the station, head towards Farnham town centre, cross the A31, and proceed along South Street. The church is on the left, next to the traffic lights.

Our guest speaker will be Jason Murphy, new Group Station Manager for the Alton line stations.

1st February 2011 - Report from meeting with SWT/NR

Representatives from ALUA, SWT and Network Rail (NR) met at Woking on Thursday 20th January.

The main focus of the meeting was the NR proposal to improve the signalling in the Farnham area.
NR intend to renew the signals and cabling at Farnham and Bentley, renew the level crossing at Farnham and extend the Bentley passing loop and platforms. This should improve journey times and remove a major cause of train delays.
NR propose to do the work in two phases, the first in 2011 and the second in 2013. Line closures will be confined as far as possible to weekends and Bank Holidays.
As the re-signalling and track work will absorb most of the available funds, no money can be found at present for re-doubling the track between Farnham and Alton.

A number of other points were also discussed, including car park charges on Bank Holidays and the 20 minute waiting area at Alton.
The issue of rail ticket acceptance on buses from Aldershot during disruption was raised, and this has now been approved.
Also, SWT advised that rail replacement buses during the week will call at Bentley Station, but the larger coaches used on Sunday services will stop in the village, as they cannot turn at the station. Notices will be prominently displayed at Bentley Station when this is the case.

Finally, the trolley service on the 1014 service from Alton to Waterloo has seen little use and will be discontinued.

24th January 2011 - GOCO Mid Hants Link trial postponed until further notice

GOCO has issued the following press statement about the Mid Hants Link trial:

GOCO Mid Hants Link rail trial to be postponed

GO! Co-operative Limited trading as GOCO, a multi-stakeholder sustainable travel co-operative, has announced that the trial period for its Mid Hants Link rail service – originally scheduled to begin on 24 January 2011 – is now postponed until further notice.

Following technical issues encountered during the testing programme, it has not been possible to repair the vehicle ahead of the scheduled launch of the public service. Work will continue to address the technical issues with the existing vehicle and during this time, alternative options for a replacement vehicle will also be considered.

Chris Phillimore, Business Development Director for GOCO, said: "We have been very heartened by the overwhelmingly positive response to the concept of the service and feel more confident about its long term success than even when we began planning six months ago. We are committed to providing a reliable high-quality service and will not commence operations with any type of vehicle until we can be satisfied that this can be delivered. We are confident that a suitable solution can be identified and that the trial will go ahead in the very near future."

Further announcements will be made when the technical issues have been resolved or an alternative vehicle has been sourced. Posters will be distributed and GOCO staff will be present at Alton and Medstead & Four Marks stations on Monday 24 January 2011 to inform any passengers of the postponement of the trial service.

For further updates, please visit www.goco.coop/mid-hants.

19th January 2011 - GOCO Mid Hants Link trial delayed

We have been advised that, due to technical issues, the GOCO Mid Hants link trial will now commence on 31st January, not 24th January as previously announced.

22nd December 2010 - GOCO Mid Hants Link trial information

We have received additional information about the proposed GOCO Mid Hants Link trial service between Medstead & Four Marks and Alton.

The trial will now run on Monday-Friday for 4 weeks from Jan 24th to Feb 18th (This is one week later than originally proposed).

Connection will be made with 5 morning departures from Alton to Waterloo from 06.44 to 08.44 inclusive, and with a corresponding number of evening arrivals at Alton between 17.41 and 20.04.
Morning Departures of the GOCO Mid Hants Link from Medstead & Four Marks will be at 06.22, 06.53, 07.24, 07.55 and 08.27. Evening departures from Alton will be at 17.46, 18.35, 19.08, 19.39 and 20.10.

Fares for the duration of the trial period have been agreed as:
Adult: £3.00 single, £5.00 return
Child: £2.00 single, £3.00 return.
Tickets will be issued on the GOCO Mid Hants Link train. (No through ticketing is possible onto SWT for the period of the trial.)

Additional parking has been arranged at Medstead & Four Marks in the Woodlea Park industrial estate, and the MHR will also bee installing cycle hoops.

Volunteer staff are still sought for ticket issue duties on the Link trains, in order to provide a small pool of staff. Safety training will be offered by the MHR to cover emergency situations.
If any ALUA members are interested in this duty (which carries some remuneration), please contact Chris Phillimore of GOCO for details on 07740 541946.

12th December 2010 - Fares Comparison Table

ALUA has produced a fares comparison table, showing the existing fares to London from Alton Line Stations, the 2011 fares, and the percentage increase.

Click To Download (PDF Format). To save to disk, right-click and select 'Save Target As' from the menu.

It is clear that, despite SWT announcing an average fare rise of 6.5%, users of the Alton line will have to endure much higher increases, with most season tickets increasing by over 7%, some as much as 7.3%.
Day fares also face large increases, with many fares rising by around 7%.

9th December 2010 - Commuter Trial on the Mid-Hants Railway

We have received news that GOCO (Go Co-operative) will be running a trial commuter service on the Mid Hants Railway between Medstead & Four Marks and Alton in early 2011.
The service will use a Parry People Mover, a a lightweight railcar which has ‘green credentials’ by using a stored energy flywheel drive system powered by a small diesel engine.
The trial service is currently planned to operate Monday-Friday between 17th January and 11th February, with 6 return trips in each morning and evening peak, connecting into SWT services at Alton.
Full details will be published nearer the time, and look out for leaflets at Alton station.

1st December 2010 - Autumn Newsletter and fares increases

The Autumn 2010 newsletter is now available to download. Copies will also be available at Alton Line stations shortly.
Note, at the time of going to press, SWT's annual fare increases had not been published. SWT have since stated that fares will rise by an average of 6.5% in January, a significant blow to workers who are facing pay freezes or cuts.
For more information, see the news item on the SWT website. A full breakdown of the changes for Alton Line users will follow shortly.

29th November 2010 - Autumn Newsletter

The ALUA autumn newsletter is now complete and will be with members, and on this website, shortly.

17th July 2010 - Notes from meeting with SWT

Members of the ALUA committee met with representatives from SWT and Network Rail on 8th July. The following key points came out of the meeting:

Farnham Area Resignalling

No new developments, pending a review of SWT’s and NR’s overall expenditure expected on October 20th

Timetable Changes

Complaints about the slow running of trains from Waterloo to Alton continue, but any speed-up is unlikely on the Alton line.There may, however, be minor timing adjustments to some of the Basingstoke line services.
There will be a ten day closure of lines leading into Reading Station once rebuilding gets under way. Details are not yet complete but a new platform, [4c], for the Gatwick-Guildford-North Camp-Reading services is probable.

Alton Line Stations

Ash Vale:
“Directions to North Camp” posters are now in place. No further “hygiene” problems reported.

Aldershot:
It was stressed that much needs to be done to the station before 2012. Smoking on station premises late at night and at weekends is an ongoing problem.

Farnham:
The whole station is due for repainting shortly..

Bentley:
After complaints that weekend replacement buses are not stopping at the station as previously agreed with ALUA, SWT have investigated and will send a written report shortly.
Following successful soil tests carried out on 4th March, plans to extend Bentley’s car park by another nine car spaces (making 94 in all) are now at an advanced stage.

Alton:
Potholes at the station entrance and in the car park will be filled in shortly and new layout markings will follow. The recent abolition of the popular 20 minute waiting area is being investigated.

29th June 2010 - Notes from the 2010 AGM

Notes from the 2010 AGM, held on June 22nd, are now available to download. These provide an outline of the issues discussed.

Click To Download (MS Word Format). To save to disk, right-click and select 'Save Target As' from the menu.

If you have any comments, or would like further details on any of the items, please get in touch.

14th April 2010 - Alton station building work

Alton station booking office will be closed from Sunday 18th April until Monday 26th April, while building work is carried out. We understand that this is to provide a wheelchair-accessible ticket office counter.
During the closure, extra staff will be available to sell tickets with portable machines, and to assist customers with using the Ticket Vending Machine.

25th February 2010 - SWT Web Chat transcript

The full set of questions & answers from today's SWT web chat are now available to view on the SWT Website.
Those that specifically relate to the Alton line have been reproduced below:

Question 34 - Ash Vale ticket office

Q: I am disappointed to see Ash Vale on the list of proposed ticket office hours changes, and I understand that the Department for Transport had already vetoed a previous attempt to close the ticket office on Sundays. A better solution would be to improve the Sunday service, resulting in more customers.

A: I understand your concerns.
We have thought carefully about the stations at which we propose to reduce the hours of opening and with the low level of ticket issues on a Sunday, Ash Vale no longer warrants the ticket office being open. Customers can still purchase tickets through the vending machine or via the internet.
There are no plans to change the frequency of train service on a Sunday.

Question 70 - Platform changes for the 17:25 Waterloo-Alton

Q: The 17:25 Waterloo-Alton train has departed consistently from Platfom 8 for well over a year, yet in the last few weeks it seems to randomly swap between 8 and 13, causing confusion to passengers and staff. Why is this, and will we see a return to a consistent platform anytime soon?

A: Thank you for enquiry. We are currently running a staff training program at Basingstoke on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which requires an eight-coach train to be available for the staff to work on. Because of this requirement an alteration has been made to the planned wolrkings so that the coaches for the Alton train now comes from the sidings ay Clapham and has to run to Platform 13 instead of Platform 8.
This change of platform at Waterloo will apply through to May this year, the 17:25 to Alton will run from platform 8 on Mondays and Fridays only and from platform 13 on the other days.
I hope this response will help you plan your journey home.

Question 75 - Weekend train lengths

Q: Saturday morning London-bound services on the Alton-Waterloo line are only formed of 4 cars, yet they are often full and standing from Woking and wedged from Surbiton. The same applies southbound in the aftenoon. When are you going to appreciate that there are 'peaks' at the weekend too and provide enough stock so that everyone can get a seat?

A: I appreciate that some of our weekend services are busy, but only in normal circumstances, for short parts of the journey. As part of our planning processes, we try to match capacity to demand and review our rolling stock provsion accordingly; obviously it does not make sence to provide carriages that are not used for much of the day. We do strengthen some of the services you mention on Saturdays on the lead up to Christmas and during special events

Question 81 - Ticket validity to Farnborough on the 0105 down train

Q: The last train to Ash Vale & Aldershot leaves Waterloo at 00:05, but there is a later train at 01:05 that calls at Farnborough. Could tickets to Ash Vale and Aldershot be made valid on this train as far as Farnborough to allow passengers the option of a taxi home from there instead?

A: Whilst I understand your point, I'm afraid that differing fare levels between Aldershot and Farnborough make this difficult to agree. We do offer season tickets that allow travel between either Aldershot/Ash Vale or Farnborough and London, but there is a price premium for the additional availability.
On the occasions that you wish to travel on the 01:05 service, I'd recommend that you purchase a combination of tickets - the cheapest combination will vary, dependent on when you travel and whether your stay in London extends to more than one day.

Question 95 - Waterloo via Ascot services calling at Ash Vale

Q: When the Aldershot-Waterloo via Ascot services call at Ash Vale, there is no warning that only the front four coaches of the eight coach train will be opened, and I have seen people miss the train because they were trying to get into the wrong part. Would it be possible to add a warning announcement, or failing that, instruct the drivers of these trains to stop at the four car stop mark instead?

A: Thank you for your comments. We will look to add information about joining the front four coaches to the announcements and information displays.

Question 103 - Re-doubling Farnham-Alton

Q: Does Network Rail have a date for dualling the track between Alton and Farnham?

A: Network Rail do not have immediate plans to dual the track between Alton and Farnham.
My understanding is that they are currently reviewing other options on this line of route.

Question 112 - Stops at Clapham Junction

Q: When will you be addressing the appalling service from Farnham/Woking etc to Clapham Junction? There is a small window of oppurtunity to travel from Farnham to Clapham (without touching London) and yet the number of trains passing non-stop to Waterloo is huge. I suggest you try and do a return journey planner from Farnham to East Croydon and note the intervals (1.5 hours) between services. The platform is actually shut for 1.5 hours following the 17.02 Alton service, so platform availability cannot be a problem. This service needs urgent attention - thousands of commuters are needlessly being forced into London (at extra cost). Call me cynical, but I think that that last point may be the reason why you do nothing about it.

A: Please see the answer to Question 24 [included below]:
I am aware that many of our customers would like to change at Clapham Junction during the peaks. However, due to the extra time needed to stop services on platform 7, this would cause significant congestion, delay services and result in a reduction in the number of trains on the fast lines.

24th February 2010 - Proposed changes to ticket office hours

South West Trains are proposing to further reduce ticket office hours at a number of stations from Spring 2010.
On the Alton Line, they are proposing to close Ash Vale ticket office all day on Sundays (currently it is open from 0900-1200). Weekday and Saturday hours will be unchanged.
They are also proposing to change Brookwood's opening hours to 0630-1300 (from 0630-2015) Monday-Friday, and close it completely on Sunday.

We firmly believe that having staffed ticket offices is the best way for passengers to get accurate information about train services and fares. Having staff present on a station also discourages anti-social behaviour and fare-evasion.
We would encourage passengers affected by these changes to express their views by responding to SWT's consultation. For more details on the proposed closures and the consultation process, see the SWT website.

Note that SWT is looking to close offices at times when they sell less than 12 tickets per hour, To avoid further closures, we would recommend buying tickets from ticket offices, rather than vending machines, wherever possible and especially at quiet times.

17th February 2010 - SWT Live Web Chat

South West Trains are holding another live web chat on Thursday 25th February, from 2pm to 4pm.
Questions can be submitted up to 24 hours in advance, and will be answered by SWT Managing Director Andy Pitt and other directors.
For more details, see the Web Chat page on the SWT website.

13th February 2010 - 'Meet the Manager' at Woking

South West Trains are holding a 'Meet the Manager' event at Woking station on Thursday 18th Feb, from 1630 to 1900.
These sessions give the opportunity for passengers to meet SWT senior managers and directors and get one-to-one responses to any concerns.
For more details, see the Meet the Manager page on the SWT website.

8th January 2010 - Alton Barrow Crossing

The pictures below show the re-sited barrow crossing at Alton station.
As expected, passengers in wheelchairs now have to travel a much longer distance to cross between platforms 1 and 2.
ALUA have been advised that passengers who arrive at Platform 2 should contact a member of the train crew, who will be able to supervise them across the crossing. Passengers wishing to board a train at platform 2 should contact the station staff.
However, there still appears to be no allowance for the situation where a passenger needs to cross from P1 to board a train at P2 but the station is unstaffed, or the only member of staff is busy selling tickets.

• A two-page newsletter is planned for October/November 2009.
• An ALUA/SWT meeting took place on 23rd July at Woking (see 13th August entry for more details).
• The next committee meeting will be on 5th January 2010. If any of the membership would like to raise any issues at the meeting, please get in touch.

21st September 2009 - Disabled’ Access at Alton

ALUA have been advised that the work to move the barrow crossing at Alton will take place on or around 24th November.

29th August 2009 - SWT Brompton Bike Hire Scheme

South West Trains is making 50 Brompton folding bicycles available for hire to Season Ticket holders and the general public. These bikes have no travel restrictions and can be carried on all SWT services. The scheme is managed by the Lost Property office at Waterloo.

The charge for Season Ticket holders is £5 Weekly, £20 monthly, £50 quarterly or £100 annually.
The charge for non-Season Ticket holders is £5 Daily, £15 Weekly, £40 monthly, £100 quarterly, £250 annually.
A £100 refundable deposit is required.

For more details on the scheme, and to register your interest, please see the SWT Website.

21st August 2009 - SWT Web Chat transcript

The full transcript of Thursday's SWT Web Chat is now available for download from the SWT website.

13th August 2009 - Report from ALUA/SWT meeting on 23rd July

Members of the ALUA committee met with representatives from South West Trains and Network Rail in Woking on Thursday 23rd July.
Peter Brooks, Jenny Saunders and David Josey attended on behalf of SWT, Anna O’Connor attended on behalf of Network Rail. Chris Campbell, David Jones, Jonathan Riddell, Mike Roberts and Brian Thomas attended on behalf of ALUA.
The following issues were raised:

Ticket Office Opening Hours

Problems are occurring at Alton, owing to shortage of staff at critical times. However, vacancies have been advertised and as a result new staff are being recruited and trained. Successful trainees should be in place by October 2009.

Ticket Vending Machines

Many are out of action owing to vandalism and far too many are still in Germany undergoing repair. SWT recognises this and has taken action to speed things up. The 3 p.m. limit on “next day” purchases will be unchanged on the modified machines but the machines themselves will be more secure and provide for a wider range of tickets, including ‘concessions’. The problem should diminish as more staff become available to man ticket offices.

Timetable Changes

The 0542 from Alton will arrive at Waterloo two or three minutes earlier from December 2009, and the 1655 Waterloo to Alton is to be speeded up. The problem of commuters who are required to work at weekends was raised. At present there are too few early weekend trains arriving at Waterloo. Peter Brooks undertook to see if timetable adjustments can be made without incurring disproportionate costs.

Network Rail

The Farnham re-signalling programme will be extended to cover the whole Ash Vale – Alton section of the line, but completion is unlikely before 2011 at the earliest

New “eco-town” at Bordon/Whitehill

Despite the announcement of Bordon/Whitehill as one of the four new carbon-neutral (“eco-”) towns, much depends on whether the Army moves out in the numbers originally forecast. In addition there are other issues to be resolved before any firm plans can be drawn up. Transport, including the possible provision of rail links, is only one of these.

Extension of Car Park at Bentley

There has been no progress on the plan to use redundant railway land to extend the car park at Bentley. Anna O’Connor will investigate and report back on the current situation.

Reduced Fares at Weekends in August 2009

Throughout August (excluding Bank Holidays), weekend journeys throughout the network will be £10 per person per day for travel to SWT destinations.

Bicycles on Trains

A question was raised about the possibility of accommodating bicycles on ‘down’ trains during the ‘peak’ hours.. SWT stated that while they were not prepared to alter the existing restrictions it might be possible, space permitting, for bicycles to be accommodated on the Farnham-Alton stretch of the line only.

The next meeting will be held on 21st January 2010.

11th August 2009 - Changes to train times 26th-31st August

Due to signalling maintenance work taking place in the Aldershot area between Wednesday 26th and Monday 31st August, there will be changes to train times on the Alton-Waterloo and Ascot-Guildford routes.
Trains to Waterloo will depart Alton, Bentley, Farnham and Aldershot earlier than usual. Trans to Alton will arrive at these stations later than usual. Ascot-Guildford trains will be running to a revised timetable.
For full details and revised timetables, see the Engineering Works section on the SWT website.

8th August 2009 - SWT Webchat

South West Trains will be holding another webchat on Thursday 20th August between 2pm and 4pm.
These webchats offer the opportunity for rail users to submit questions to SWT directors. Questions can be submitted up to 24hrs in advance.
For more details, see the SWT website.

8th August 2009 - Ash Vale TVM

The ticket vending machine (TVM) at Ash Vale has now returned after a two-month-absence. It was damaged at the end of May and had to be sent for repair.

8th August 2009 - Heathrow Airtrack TWA

The Transport and Works Act Order (TWA) for the Heathrow Airtrack project has now been submitted. The proposal includes direct services to Heathrow Airport from Guildford, Woking, Reading and London Waterloo.
It seems likely that there will be some impact on Alton services, and the ALUA committee are examining the application.
Full details of Airtrack and the TWA can be viewed on the BAA Website.

15th July 2009 - New information screen at Alton

After campaigning from ALUA, a new Customer Information screen has been installed on platform 1 at Alton, to provide information about departures when the booking office is closed.
Unlike the existing orange CIS displays, the new screen shows all departures, not just those from P1, so there is less risk of passengers failing to realise that the next train departs from P2 until it leaves without them.

The new monitor in place. [Photo: D. McKay.]

10th July 2009 - Committee Meeting Report

ALUA’s committee met on Tuesday 30th June at Bentley. The main points of discussion are summarised below:

Train Performance

Punctuality is generally good, and the Alton/Guildford Group has won the Wessex ‘Golden Carrot’ award for the most right-time starts (trains departing on time). The figure stood at 95% during the previous reporting period.

Station Reports

• Alton - Staff shortages have lead to unannounced early closing of the ticket office on a number of occasions.
  Work to improve accessibility at the station is due to take place during November; this will include moving the barrow crossing so it can be used while a 12 car train is in the station.
• Bentley – The staffing situation has improved and the station is now manned until 10:30am on weekdays.
• Farnham – There are problems with the announcement system which make announcements difficult to hear.
• Aldershot – Additional staffing has helped at this station, but more work needs to be done to make the station presentable. There are still problems with pigeons, despite assurances that they would be dealt with.
  The new gates are in place and seem to be working reliably.
• Ash Vale – The new shelters are in place but, as expected, do not provide much protection from the weather. The lighting in one of them has also failed.
  There are ongoing problems with vandalism and anti-social behaviour, but the local police are keeping an eye on the situation.
  The Ticket Vending Machine, which was vandalised at the end of May, is still away for repairs. We understand that this could take several months, as they have to be sent away to Germany, and SWT have no spares.
• Clapham Junction – Ongoing building work at the station is impeding passenger flow at the station, and causing problems for customers changing trains.
• Waterloo – The new gates are in place, but are often left open in the evenings or when they have technical problems.
  We understand that there are some issues getting them to work correctly with Oyster cards.

ALUA Business

• The new website is proving very successful, and has received a lot of positive feedback.
• ALUA are proposing to produce a newsletter in September/October 2009.
• ALUA will be meeting with SWT on July 23rd.
• Peter Monk will be moving away from the area and has stepped down from the ALUA committee. His expertise and dedication will be sorely missed and the committee would like to express their thanks for all of his hard work.
  David Jones has taken on the role of Vice Chairman and Daniel Hill will continue to act as representative for Ash Vale.
• The next committee meeting will be on 29th September. If any of the membership would like to raise any issues at the meeting, please get in touch.

10th July 2009 - Upcoming Engineering Work

The Alton line will be affected by engineering work on several weekends during July and August.

• Sat 18th July (Evening) & Sun 19th July - The line will be closed at Ash Vale for the removal of a bridge over the canal. Alton-Waterloo trains will be diverted via Guildford, with Ash Vale served by a bus between Woking and Aldershot. Ascot-Aldershot trains will also be replaced by buses.
• Sun 2nd August - The line will be shut between Aldershot and Alton. Normal services will run between Aldershot and Waterloo, with replacement buses between Aldershot and Alton
• Sun 16th August- The line will be shut between Woking and Alton. Replacement buses will operate between Farnborough and Alton via Ash Vale and Aldershot. Ascot-Guildford trains will be replaced by buses between Camberley and Guildford via Aldershot.

For more details, see the Engineering Works section on the SWT website.

26th May 2009 - Waterloo Travel Centre facing closure

South West Trains have announced plans to close the Travel Centre at Waterloo from September 2009 and integrate its services into the main ticket office. (See the News story on the SWT Website for details).

ALUA are concerned that this will reduce the quality of service available to customers who currently use the Travel Centre. This will particularly affect those without Internet access or who are unfamiliar with the complexities of railway ticketing and want face-to-face advice from a knowledgeable member of staff, without having to shout through a glass screen.

The Travel Centre also provides valuable services such as season ticket and railcard purchases to customers who, due to recent ticket office cutbacks, are unable to access them at their local station at a convenient time.

ALUA would like to hear any comments you have on SWT’s plans, so we can include them to our response. Please get in touch.

24th May 2009 - Ash Vale Shelter Progress

Since the completion of the foundations, construction of the shelters has proceeded at a good pace. The main structure is now in place, and bricks are being laid to make up the floor.
The photos below show the state of construction on 24th May. It is obvious that they will provide little protection against wind and driving rain.

16th May 2009 - Anti-Social Behaviour at Ash Vale

During the first few months of this year there have been complaints by members of both the public and ALUA concerning groups of young people who gather at or near Ash Vale Station, apparently giving rise to vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the locality and also harassing individual passengers leaving the station at night.

Both British Transport and Surrey Police have been made aware of this situation.

It is understood that the local Safer Neighbourhood police team have focused on these activities and the Sergeant in charge has reported that there has been a huge reduction in their occurrence due to action taken by police.

It is understood that individuals are on court bail to Guildford Crown Court and that this includes tight evening curfew times at their home addresses. It is also understood that British Transport Police are fully aware of the incidents and that a number of youths have been identified for damage and anti-social behaviour on railway property. Action in respect of these is likely to take place in the near future.

Anyone experiencing or having knowledge of further events of this nature should report these via the Secretary or, better, direct to BTP (via the ‘HELP’ points at the station) or to Surrey Police (contact Sgnt. Alison Adams, Safer Neighbourhood Team, 120 Ash Street, Ash Surrey GU12 6LL : Phone number 0845 1252222 extn 39080.)

14th May 2009 - Ash Vale Shelter Progress

Six weeks after starting work, the foundations for the new shelters at Ash Vale are now virtually complete.
The work has required the contractors to move the excess spoil down the stairs to road level using a wheelbarrow and to bring concrete back up the same way, whilst all the time dodging rail users.
The photos below show the state of the shelters on Wednesday 13th May.

2nd May 2009 - Notes from the 2009 AGM

Notes from the 2009 AGM, held on April 7th, are now available to download. These provide an outline of the issues discussed.

Click To Download (MS Word Format). To save to disk, right-click and select 'Save Target As' from the menu.

If you have any comments, or would like further details on any of the items, please get in touch.

29th April 2009 - New Information Screen at Alton

ALUA have been advised by SWT that they have ordered Customer Information System (CIS) modifications at Alton to improve information when the booking hall is closed.
This will consist of a new flat screen display installed near the night entrance to the station.
Two potential locations have been identified; either above the Ticket Vending Machine by the station entrance, or on Platform 1 between the Gents toilets and the booking hall.
SWT are keen to hear feedback from users of Alton station, if you have any comments, please let us know and we'll pass them on.

29th April 2009 - Timetable changes

New timetables will be in force from Sunday 17th May. There are two minor changes to the Mon-Fri Alton services.

• The 0544 Alton-Waterloo will depart at 0542 and run two minutes earlier throughout. This is to improve interchange times at Clapham Junction.
• The 1715 Alton-Waterloo will depart at 1714, call additionally at Bentley at 1721 and arrive one minute later at Farnham (at 1726). Times from Farnham to Waterloo are unchanged.

The new timetable will also see the withdrawal of the Bordon to Liphook rail-link bus.
South West Trains are proposing to replace the service by funding extra journeys on the No 18 service bus from Bordon to Farnham.
Users of the rail-link service are campaigning against its withdrawal, for more information on the campaign see the Save Our Rail Link website.

9th April 2009 - SWT 'Try the Train Day' Postponed

We have been advised by SWT that the 'Try the Train' day at Guildford on Tuesday 14th April has been postponed.
Details of future events will be published on this website when they are confirmed.

9th April 2009 - ALUA AGM

The ALUA held a well-attended AGM at the Alton Station Cafe on 7th April.
The existing ALUA committee were re-elected and there was plenty of constructive debate about some of the issues affecting the Alton Line.
Full details of the evening's proceedings will be published in due course.
ALUA would like to thank Dave Josey and Jenny Saunders from SWT for taking the time to attend the meeting, and for providing a valuable contribution to the discussions.

31st March 2009 - Ash Vale Shelters

Work has commenced on the installation of two new waiting shelters at Ash Vale station. ALUA have been advised that these will be of the open fronted, cantilever 'bus stop' type.
We remain unconvinced that these will adequately protect passengers from driving wind and rain from the South West, and had originally argued that enclosed shelters should be provided.
Photos and updates will be added to the site as installation progresses.

18th March 2009 - Upcoming Engineering Works

Major engineering works will be taking place at Wimbledon on the following dates, resulting in disruption to Alton services.

• Saturday & Sunday 28th/29th March
• Saturday & Sunday 4th/5th April
• Easter Weekend; 10-13th April
• Sunday 19th April
• Sunday 3rd May

Alton trains will join with Basingstoke trains at Woking on Saturdays as well as Sundays, and will be diverted via Chertsey and Staines, rather than the usual route via Surbiton and Wimbledon.
This will lead to trains being re-timed, Surbiton station not being served by Alton trains and extended journey times to/from Waterloo.
If you are intending to travel on any of these dates, we recommend checking the South West Trains website for amended timetables and to plan your journey.

15th March 2009 - 'Try the Train' day in Guildford, Tuesday 14th April

South West Trains has sent us the following information about an upcoming 'Try The Train' day for disabled passengers, to be held at Guildford Station on Tuesday 14th April:

Following the success of its ‘Try the Train’ days South West Trains is holding a further event to give disabled passengers an opportunity to explore this mode of transport.

The event, being held at Guildford station on 14 April, will highlight the accessibility of train travel for groups including disabled and older people, wheelchair users, people with visual or hearing impairments and those with learning difficulties.

Paul Bentley, Access and Integration Manager, said: “We are aware that transport plays a crucial role in people’s lives but there are a number who lack the confidence or knowledge to travel by rail.

“Our ‘Try the Train’ events have proved both popular and useful to local disabled people and we hope more come along to find out about the service we offer.”

The aim is to introduce train travel to disabled people who may not know the extent of accessibility on trains and those who have not used the train before. It will also provide a forum for regular users to discuss their experiences with South West Trains.

The event will provide information about rail travel, specific rail journeys, information about getting assistance during journeys and an opportunity to look around the trains we operate.

The event – running from 0930 to 1630 - is open to individuals, carers and local groups. Individuals are welcome to turn up on the day but we do ask groups to book a place. They can do this by contacting our Customer Service Centre by phone on 0845 6000 650, email customerrelations@swtrains.co.uk or write to: CSC, Overline House, Southampton, SO15 1GW.

25th February 2009 - New website launched

ALUA has a new website, built and maintained by Daniel Hill.
The intention is to keep the website up to date with news from ALUA and the Alton Line in general.
Comments, queries and suggestions regarding the website are welcome, please e-mail Daniel at webmaster@altonlineusers.com.
For queries about membership or ALUA in general, please see the 'Contact Us' page for way to contact the ALUA secretary.

7th February 2009

The Department for Transport has announced a decision regarding the ‘Access for All’ accessibility proposals to be funded for implementation in the 2009/10 tranche of small schemes.

ALUA is delighted that, as a result of pressure by and support from many parties, Alton Station is to be provided with a split height ticket counter window, accessible toilet and an accessible ‘drop off’ bay.

Somewhat similar proposals for Farnham and Aldershot have not been approved for inclusion in the 2009 – 10 tranche of projects, but these schemes can be resubmitted next year.

5th February 2009

South West Trains have announced a further 180 job cuts on top of the 480 announced last month.

Positions to be cut include revenue protection, ticket office and station staff. Drivers, guards and frontline fleet maintenance staff will not be affected.

4th February 2009

Heavy snow fell across the south-east on the night of Sunday 1st Feb, causing widespread disruption to transport.

South West Trains managed to run a limited service on some routes, however Alton services were suspended on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd with no replacement transport.

Information was initially poor, with both the South West Trains and National Rail websites unable to cope with the level of demand. Station display screens warned of disruption but did not mention specifics.

Normal service was eventually resumed on Wednesday 4th February, though some trains ran short-formed due to units suffering electrical damage caused by running through ice and snow.