Wessex Main Line

The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth. The line intersects with the West of England Main Line at, and with the Reading to Taunton Line at.

Places served
The places served are listed below.
 * Bristol
 * Keynsham
 * Oldfield Park
 * Bath
 * Great Western Main Line diverges to Chippenham, Swindon and London Paddington
 * Freshford
 * Avoncliff
 * Bradford-on-Avon
 * Trowbridge
 * Westbury
 * Heart of Wessex Line diverges to Weymouth
 * Dilton Marsh
 * Warminster
 * Salisbury
 * Dean
 * Mottisfont & Dunbridge
 * Romsey
 * Eastleigh to Romsey Line diverges to Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh
 * Southampton

Passenger services are currently operated by First Great Western local services, supplemented by South West Trains between Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads, and First Great Western high speed express services between Bristol and Bath. Some services start at Swindon also. Many services continue beyond Southampton along the West Coastway Line to Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton, and beyond Bristol to Newport and Cardiff along the South Wales Main Line. Strong passenger growth meant that Wessex Trains increased train lengths from two carriages to three in 2004, but the new franchise specification reduced them back to two carriages, with inevitable chronic overcrowding and passenger protests. As of 2011, the service now regularly runs with three carriages, although with significant overcrowding remaining in peak times.

Chippenham branch
There is a link from Trowbridge to Chippenham, with an intermediate stop at Melksham. Despite showing strong passenger growth in the previous few years, the new franchise reduced services in December 2006 to 2 each way per day, at times barely convenient for commuters. This has particularly hit Trowbridge to London commuters, who now generally have to drive to Chippenham or Westbury for a connection to London if they wish to arrive at the capital relatively early.