Rail services in south-west England are set to become more convenient over the next five years after the Department for Transport (DfT) invited bids from rail operators to improve services.

Any prospective bidders must be able to demonstrate how they would improve journey times for at least 70 per cent of all services and increase peak time capacity by at least 20 per cent from December 2020.

Bidders must also lay on at least another 95 weekday services and deliver earlier first trains and later last trains on certain routes from December 2018.

DfT wants to see the number of services along the London Waterloo to Reading and Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside routes doubled from two trains an hour to four.

A new compensation system for delayed passengers could be introduced too with a quicker and simpler claims process, as well as a new smart ticketing technology and new tickets for part-time workers.

Rail minister Claire Perry said: “The South Western franchise has some of the busiest routes in the country, serving a diverse range of passengers and places and these improvements will deliver faster, smoother journeys for customers using these services.”

Bids for the South Western franchise are being accepted until September 2016 with the new operator set to take over from June 2017.