Sir.-I wish to respond to some rather disturbing claims in Mike Roberts' letter, in last Friday's Gazette, about the new South West Trains (SWT) timetable.

1. "SWT will save money by the new timetable."

No, it won't. If trains take longer to get from A to B, then, for example, staffing costs go up. On balance, SWT does not expect to save any money.

2. "The new timetable is for the benefit of SWT."

No, it isn't. Research says that passengers want reliability more than they want speed. The new timetable delivers greater reliability. SWT is responding to what customers want.

3. "Dwell times at Woking are four or five minutes."

No, they aren't. Typical dwell times at Woking are around two minutes. Basingstoke is similar.

At peak times, it takes two minutes for passengers to get on and off a train with end doors.

The new SWT timetable has taken over a year to develop. It also includes other changes such as smarter use of the flat junction on the four-track railway outside Woking.

Railways aren't stale, Mr Roberts. More than one billion passenger journeys were made last year - a new record not seen for decades.

-A railwayman (not an employee of SWT), Basingstoke.