Railway timetable change affects South East trains

The new railway timetable change will take effect across the network from Sunday. It will bring revised train services in the South East. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The update covers extra services, longer trains and revised schedules. Southeastern, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and South Western Railway (SWR) will make immediate changes. Also, operators have outlined further services for later.

The changes vary by operator and route. The main updates are set out below for passengers checking their journeys.

Railway timetable change for Southeastern services

According to Southeastern, weekend high speed services will be increased as part of the new timetable.

Also, some morning and evening peak-time trains to and from London Blackfriars will return. These services will start and finish at Maidstone East and Gillingham/Rochester.

Additional services will run between 15:30 BST and 20:30. They will link London Charing Cross and Maidstone East. They will provide a half-hourly service.

In addition, other Maidstone East-London Victoria trains will have amended stopping patterns. This is aimed at increasing and improving services.

At the busiest weekend times, high speed services will run every 30 minutes. The change applies between Faversham and London St Pancras.

Until 6 September, some services have been added between London and Dover/Ramsgate. The route runs via Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate and Broadstairs. Other services on that route will run with more coaches.

Separately, a new late Friday and Saturday service will run from Margate to Gillingham. It will leave Margate at 23:15 and help people return home from Dreamland. The 23:16 Ramsgate-Rochester service is also due to have additional coaches.

From December, Southeastern says it will significantly increase services on its metro routes. Most stations are due to get a service every 15 minutes.

Govia Thameslink Railway timetable updates

Govia Thameslink Railway will transfer into public ownership from 31 May, as Railway Supply reported.

Services between East Grinstead and London Victoria will run every 30 minutes on Wednesdays. This matches the existing pattern on Thursdays and Fridays.

A later last train from London Victoria to Three Bridges will also be introduced. It will depart London at 00:08.

Also, the 05:00 Brighton-Ore service will now stop at Cooden Beach at 06:01. It will then continue towards Ore.

Meanwhile, GTR says passengers could see earlier trains between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria. That change is intended to make rail travel easier for holidaymakers. In addition, some stations may receive more midday services to support day trips.

At the same time, a small number of services will be withdrawn on selected routes. That applies where peak-time or off-peak passenger numbers fall during the school holiday period.

Some Southern and Thameslink services will have minor timing changes intended to improve punctuality. Still, there are no significant changes to Gatwick Express.

When GTR moves into public ownership on 31 May, timetables will remain unchanged. Station facilities and ticketing terms will also stay the same. Employees will automatically transfer to the publicly owned company. Their roles will not be affected.

South Western Railway schedule changes

South Western Railway was nationalised on 25 May 2025.

According to South Western Railway’s timetable page, some London Waterloo-Reading trains have been slightly retimed. The route runs via Surrey. That is because certain services will make additional stops.

From Monday to Saturday, the 22:50 London Waterloo-Salisbury service will not call at Woking.

From Monday to Friday, the 15:15 Alton-London Waterloo service will depart at 14:59 instead. It will also call at Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames.

Some other services will also have slight timing changes.

Passengers can use journey planners on any train operator’s website. In addition, they can use National Rail to check whether engineering work is scheduled.

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