RAIL passengers will soon be able to catch half-hourly trains from Salisbury to London Waterloo on Sundays as part of new services from South West Trains.

The changes, which come into force in December, will mean more than 1,000 extra seats from Salisbury to London on Sunday trains to the capital.

And journey times will be slashed, with new express services between London and Salisbury on Sunday evenings calling at Clapham Junction only.

The new services will start on December 15, now rail regulators have given them the green light.

They will also include extra half-hourly services between London and Tisbury, between 3.20pm and 7.20pm.

South West Trains boss Tim Shoveller said: “We are delighted that these plans have been approved and we will now be able to press ahead with major improvements on the West of England line from December.

“Good transport links to cities such as Salisbury and, of course, our capital city play a crucial role in helping to keep the local economy growing and we are certain that our customers will enjoy using these new services.

“We had some great feedback from local communities and we have taken these views on board and made changes where appropriate.

"We would like to thank the communities for their support and we look forwarding to launching the new services as part of the December timetable change.”

South West Trains also plans to refurbish many of its trains as part of the scheme.

Salisbury MP John Glen has backed the plans.

He said: “This is excellent news for commuters living in and around Salisbury.

"The additional capacity on Sundays and the new 'express' service will be very welcome.

“I hope this will lead to investment in Salisbury station and more progress towards opening the Wilton Parkway station”