South Western Railway

Paws on the platform 🐾🚆 It’s International Guide Dog Day today! We hosted these Guide Dog UK puppies at Basingstoke station to practise navigating platforms, boarding trains and staying calm in a busy station.  The session formed a key part of their preparation to become life-changing companions for people with sight loss, helping their future owners travel independently and with confidence. The puppies learned how to move through the ticket gateline safely, navigate the platforms, find the platform edge, board and alight trains, use the lifts, and more. This work was a result of the continued partnership between South Western Railway (SWR) and Guide Dogs to support people with sight loss.

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s a crane with a train! 🏗️ 🚂 We’ve installed a Class 455 carriage at our Rail Operating Centre in Basingstoke, to provide practical training for SWR and Network Rail Wessex colleagues, the emergency services, and other industry partners. Across three days in Basingstoke we took delivery of the carriage, installed it onto our dedicated training tracks, and then held our first exercise with the London Ambulance Service. It’s a perfect example of track and train working together 🤝

We have 39 of our new Arterio trains in service, transforming travel for customers across our suburban network — including those travelling to watch the University Boat Race this Saturday! 🚣   Some of the best spots to watch are just minutes from Barnes Bridge, Chiswick and Mortlake, just three of the 96 stations Arterio is serving. 🚉   We took a trip aboard our 'Thames Racer' Arterio with Olympic Champion Lola Anderson for a guide to the best spots to watch the action. 🥇

Keeley Quinn began her career as a primary school teacher before moving into rail, where she discovered a new way to support people’s growth and confidence. She believes women shape not only the future of rail, but also the culture within it, bringing empathy, clarity and a people‑centred approach that strengthens teams. Joining a male‑dominated sector felt daunting at first, but the support of colleagues helped Keeley find her voice quickly. She realised that her skills and perspective weren’t just welcome, they were needed. Challenging assumptions about who belongs in rail has become an important part of her journey at South Western Railway. One of her proudest achievements is seeing colleagues grow, especially women stepping into roles they once doubted they could reach. Keeley values creating a culture where people feel able to bring their whole selves to work, and she mentors others with the same warmth and encouragement she received. Keeley has been shaped by role models who lead with empathy and authenticity, teaching her that strong leadership isn’t about volume. It’s about listening and lifting others up. Keeley now carries these principles into her own work every day. Her message to the next woman stepping into her shoes? “Take the leap. There is space here for your ideas, your ambition and your voice. Put yourself forward even when you’re unsure — growth happens outside your comfort zone, and this industry needs women who are curious, determined and ready to shape the future.”

Violence and intimidation against women and girls have no place on Britain’s railways. A new joint strategy has been published by the rail industry and British Transport Police to strengthen enforcement, improve prevention and invest in better protection for customers and colleagues. At SWR, we know it’s important that we play our part, too. In January, we were awarded 100% accreditation for British Transport Police’s Safeguarding on Rail accreditation for the third year in a row. We’ve rolled out 850 body‑worn cameras and have enlisted and trained more than 50 colleagues as Safeguarding Champions. All of this is to create safer journeys and stronger communities for everyone. If something doesn’t feel right while you’re on the railway, please report it to rail staff or text 61016. #RailSafety #ZeroTolerance #VIAWG https://lnkd.in/dK5wt7fG

Today we unveiled the LEGOLAND Locomotive, a celebration of both LEGOLAND Windsor Resort's 30th birthday and our new Arterio fleet, now operating 500 services every weekday. The specially wrapped and named Arterio is a tribute to one of our top family destinations and will serve customers on the Windsor route and elsewhere on our suburban network. At London Waterloo, the train's colourful design was revealed alongside LEGO character ‘Brick Suit Girl’ before setting off to Windsor & Eton Riverside, the gateway station for the iconic theme park. Thousands of customers have travelled by train to the resort since it first opened its doors on 17 March 1996. For many, the excitement of a day out begins the moment they step onto a train. The LEGOLAND Locomotive embodies the shared sense of excitement that railway travel and LEGO bring to generations of children and families and the railway's role connecting people with the places they love.

We picked up two accolades at the 2026 Spotlight Rail Awards last night — our Inclusion and Diversity strategy won the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award and our superb Art Deco restoration of Richmond station was Highly Commended in the Outstanding Project – Under £20M category. Colleagues from the Inclusion & Diversity and Infrastructure & Property teams were at the ceremony to receive their trophies and celebrated with colleagues representing other teams that made the final shortlist in other categories.   Congratulations to them all! We’re really proud of the hard work they put in to deliver projects and initiatives worthy of this industry recognition.