SOUTH Western Railway services between Andover and London have been impacted by staff shortages.

Between now and December, there will be fewer Saturday services connecting the town with London - meaning Andoverians may have to change in Basingstoke to get to the capital.

Trains running from Salisbury to London Waterloo will end at Basingstoke until and including Saturday, December 11.

However, passengers can still travel to London via the service departing from Exeter.

The reduction of services is the result of an "ongoing shortage of train crew" according to the rail operator.

The company said the underlying issue is a shortage of available drivers, due to the "extensive disruption Covid restrictions have caused to our new driver training programme over the past year".

A statement on the SWR website said: "The delay to newly trained drivers passing out of our Salisbury depot has been further compounded by problems securing replacement buses and taxis.

"By taking this action, we aim to provide certainty for customers and reduce the number of late notice cancellations."

A summary of these changes is below:

  • Salisbury to London Waterloo stopping services will terminate at Basingstoke – customers will need to change at Basingstoke for onward services to Woking, Clapham Junction and Waterloo
  • London Waterloo to Salisbury services will start at Basingstoke. Customers travelling from Waterloo, Clapham Junction and Woking will need to catch an earlier service and change at Basingstoke
  • SWR services between London Waterloo and Exeter will run as normal.