Southern confirms timetable ‘shake-up’ this summer

Southern is promoting its new summer timetable which comes into effect on Monday June 3, 2024. Alongside eight main amendments to its original proposals are ‘hundreds of smaller changes’ to the times of individual trains.

Headlining its changes is a doubling in the frequency of trains between Brighton, Worthing and Chichester (one service via Littlehampton) from two to four trains per hour.

Hourly services between Brighton and Southampton are to become half-hourly, with an extra stop at Woolston to integrate better with local bus networks.

A new hourly, 'all-stations' Brighton to Littlehampton and Chichester service will link Brighton and Littlehampton, with an all-day service for the first time since 2007.

Meanwhile, London to Portsmouth hourly services via Gatwick Airport are to become half-hourly and will be extended to Portsmouth Harbour for better connections to local ferry services and attractions.

However, the changes come at a cost to four regular service groups which Southern will cut:

• The hourly Southampton to London Victoria service via Horsham and Gatwick Airport. Customers travelling from Southampton towards Horsham and Gatwick Airport from June must connect to a four-trains-per-hour service from the same platform at Barnham, using the new half-hourly Southampton to Brighton service.
• The hourly Littlehampton-Bognor Regis service. Customers must change at Barnham from the hourly Brighton to Chichester via Littlehampton service.
• The hourly Littlehampton-Portsmouth & Southsea service. Customers must change at Barnham from the hourly Brighton to Chichester via Littlehampton service.
• The half-hourly Brighton to Hove shuttle service. This is to be replaced by the new half-hourly Brighton to Southampton service and new Brighton to Chichester / Portsmouth & Southsea services, creating a frequency of four trains per hour.

The timetable change follows a three-month public engagement programme undertaken last summer.

Southern says it 'consulted hundreds of comments received from passengers and local communities before finalising its changes' and that the changes 'will provide faster journeys and better connections to the South West, Bristol, South Wales and West Midlands' as it seeks to attract more customers to rail.

Jenny Saunders, Southern’s Customer Services Director, said that its changes are “improvements for the vast majority of customers along the coastal route will encourage greener travel on electric trains, tourism and employment, boosting local communities and economies from Southampton to Brighton.”

For closer scrutiny, the new timetable is expected to be available in journey planners on the Southern or National Rail Enquiries websites from Monday March 11.