Skip to Buy Tickets Skip to Content Skip to Recite Me Skip to Footer
departures
arrivals

West Coastway: proposed timetable changes

Engagement on proposals

Engagement on West Coastway proposals now closed

The window for submitting feedback on the proposed timetable changes closed on 27 September.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to review our proposals and shared their thoughts with us.

We are now going through the process of reviewing the feedback we have received and will keep you updated on the next steps.

As part of our commitment to supporting your journeys, we have developed some proposals to change Southern services on the West Coastway from 2024.

This would change our services across the West Coastway, the route between Brighton, Worthing, Chichester, Portsmouth, and Southampton and services to London Victoria via Horsham.

We believe the proposed timetable would improve reliability, especially for journeys over longer distances, and create more space on trains for customers.

We are now asking for your feedback on the proposals.

Download our document where you can read through the full details of the proposed changes and how they will affect your services.

We also have a document designed for screen readers available for download.

We are encouraging everyone who uses our services on the West Coastway to consider the proposals and share their thoughts with us.

You can email or write to us with your feedback, and you can find out how by reading the document, or within the further information below.

Every piece of feedback we receive will be considered and will help to refine the proposals so we can improve our services for our passengers.

Further information

Summary of key proposed changes

The aim of these proposals is to improve reliability on all routes and to increase capacity where passenger demand is greatest, with more evenly spaced departure times for passengers.

The headline changes are:

  • London to Portsmouth services would be extended to Portsmouth Harbour, providing better connections to cross-Solent ferries as well as access to the Portsmouth docks area, rather than terminating at Portsmouth & Southsea as they do now
  • The two-per-hour London Victoria via Horsham and Gatwick Airport trains would serve Portsmouth only, with the two-per-hour Brighton trains serving Southampton only
    • This would mean more even intervals between trains, at new half-hourly frequencies, and would improve reliability on both routes by removing the short turn-round times. Passengers between Southampton and Gatwick Airport would have a short, convenient, same-platform connection at Barnham
  • Quicker journey times on the Southampton-Brighton route, with an extra stop at Woolston, where easy connections with the local bus networks provide easy access to Southampton city centre
  • A new, half-hourly, all-stations Brighton to Chichester service via Littlehampton, improving local journeys and providing extra capacity on the busy route between Brighton and Worthing

Full details on all the proposed changes can be found in the engagement document.

How do I provide feedback?

You can send your feedback to us via email at: gtr.timetableconsultation@gtrailway.com with the subject line West Coastway Proposals

If you would prefer to write to us, please send your feedback to

GTR 117 JC
East Side Offices
King’s Cross Station
King’s Cross
London N1C 4AP

Come speak with us at one of our local station timetable events

We will be holding a series of in-person events with our timetable team at stations along the West Coastway in August and September.

This will be your opportunity to share your views on the proposals with our team in person.

You can find us at the stations below, and we will add in more dates and locations soon.

  • Southampton Central Station: Wednesday 23 August, 17:00 – 19:00
  • Chichester Station: Thursday 24 August, 07:30 – 09:30
  • Chichester Station: Wednesday 6 September, 15:00 – 18:00
  • Portsmouth Harbour Station: Thursday 7 September, 07:30-09:30
  • Portsmouth & Southsea Station: Thursday 7 September, 07:30-09:30
  • Worthing Station: Wednesday 13 September, 15:00 – 18:00
  • Brighton Station: Thursday 14 September, 07:00 – 09:30

How long is the engagement period open for?

The engagement period will run until Wednesday 27 September.

When would these changes be introduced?

Subject to feedback and if the proposals are taken forward, they could be introduced from 2024, date to be confirmed.

What will the new train times be?

You can download the proposed timetables by clicking on the links below.

Wider West Coastway timetables – Monday to Friday

Wider West Coastway timetables – Saturday

Local services between Portsmouth and Southampton – Monday to Friday

Local services between Portsmouth and Southampton – Saturday

School services – Wider West Coastway

School services – Between Portsmouth and Southampton