Direct Trains Added to Ease FA Cup Semi-Final Travel
Southampton will travel to Wembley to face Manchester City on Saturday, April 25. The televised semi-final kicks off at 5.15pm.
Engineering work at Basingstoke affects the Southampton Central to London Waterloo line that weekend. That disruption prompted extra rail services to be scheduled.
Extra services and political intervention
South Western Railway announced additional trains to help supporters reach the national stadium. Filmogaz.com understands the move followed lobbying by Saints chief executive Phil Parsons, MP Satvir Kaur, and council leader Alex Winning.
Supporters have been buying match tickets this week. Season ticket holders and club members had early access before general sale.
Direct Trains Added to Ease FA Cup Semi-Final Travel
South Western Railway will run 15 direct trains from Southampton Central to London Waterloo on the day. Services run at a frequency of two to three per hour until midday.
After the game, 14 direct return trains are scheduled. The final direct depart from London Waterloo is at 00:10.
Routes and calling patterns
Because of the Basingstoke works, many services will travel via Havant. Some trains will also call at Fareham, Guildford, Woking, and Clapham.
Passengers should note that only services leaving on the hour call at those stations. Returns that stop there typically leave at 27 past the hour.
Timetables
Below are the published direct services at the time of reporting. Check SouthWesternRailway for live updates and full timetables.
| Southampton Central → London Waterloo | Departure → Arrival |
|---|---|
| 1 | 08:00 → 10:04 |
| 2 | 08:25 → 10:23 |
| 3 | 08:44 → 10:44 |
| 4 | 09:00 → 11:04 |
| 5 | 09:25 → 11:22 |
| 6 | 09:43 → 11:44 |
| 7 | 10:00 → 12:04 |
| 8 | 10:25 → 12:25 |
| 9 | 10:44 → 12:44 |
| 10 | 11:00 → 13:04 |
| 11 | 11:25 → 13:26 |
| 12 | 11:44 → 13:43 |
| 13 | 12:00 → 14:04 |
| 14 | 13:00 → 15:04 |
| 15 | 14:00 → 16:04 |
| London Waterloo → Southampton Central | Departure → Arrival |
|---|---|
| 1 | 19:27 → 21:18 |
| 2 | 19:45 → 22:11 |
| 3 | 20:27 → 22:25 |
| 4 | 20:39 → 22:54 |
| 5 | 21:01 → 23:07 |
| 6 | 21:27 → 23:18 |
| 7 | 21:39 → 23:54 |
| 8 | 22:01 → 23:56 |
| 9 | 22:27 → 00:26 |
| 10 | 22:39 → 00:40 |
| 11 | 23:01 → 00:51 |
| 12 | 23:20 → 01:14 |
| 13 | 23:35 → 01:30 |
| 14 | 00:10 → 02:01 |
Fans should allow extra time for travel on the match day. Timetables can change due to engineering or operational reasons.
