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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Bill McLoughlin

South Western Railway pulls trains after ‘biofuel clogs engines’

South Western Railway has been forced to run a reduced service after some trains reported fuel issues.

According to the company, a small number of trains operating from Salisbury and Exeter were unable to reach top speeds this week.

The BBC reported that the operator found that diesel engines on trains had been clogged with biofuel.

The operator has pulled the affected trains from service, meaning there will be a revised schedule and cancellations for services west of Salisbury and in the Romsey area.

Stuart Meek, SWR’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “With fewer trains available and a risk of delays, which would have a knock-on effect on the wider network, we have had to make the difficult decision to operate an amended timetable.

“While we appreciate it is frustrating that fewer services will be operating, this timetable does give our customers a service they can have confidence in.

“We really appreciate our customers’ patience and advise them to check before travelling.”

Within the revised timetable, just one train per hour will run between Basingstoke and Salisbury, and every two hours between Salisbury and Exeter St David’s.

One train every two hours will run between Southampton and Salisbury via Romsey and services to Westbury and Yeovil Pen Mill will not run.

Passengers have also been advised to check other routes before they travel due to the reduced number of trains while some London Waterloo services to Exeter St David’s have already been cancelled.

The Standard has approached SWR for further comment.

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