South Western Railway is advising customers to plan ahead of engineering works that will start this weekend.
Engineers will complete maintenance in the Wimbledon area, affecting services across the SWR network on Sunday, February 2 and the following Sunday on the 9th. Services between London Waterloo, Exeter, Portsmouth and Weymouth, will take longer than usual as trains will be diverted.
On both the 2nd and 9th, Network Rail engineers will finish work to renew approximately 800 metres of track, ballast, and sleepers between Wimbledon and Earlsfield.
They will also replace points (moveable sections of track that allow trains to move from one line to another) and install 100 meters of conductor rail, which powers trains.
When complete, the work will improve the reliability of the track in the area. It will also reduce the number of faults caused by rail and wheel wear and provide customers with a smoother ride as the layout of the track is improved.
Separately, engineering work in Portsmouth on Sunday 9 will mean further changes to train services.
Services on both Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 will be amended as follows:
- London Waterloo to Alton services, and stopping services to Basingstoke, will start from Woking and will run hourly.
On Sunday 2 only:
- London Waterloo to Poole and Portsmouth Harbour services will run to Poole only. These services will be diverted, taking approximately 30 minutes longer, and will call additionally at Farnborough.
- A revised service will run between Eastleigh and Portsmouth Harbour.
- London Waterloo to Portsmouth via Guildford services will be revised and diverted, taking approximately 30 minutes longer. Some services will start from Woking.
On Sunday 9 only:
- London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh services will be diverted, taking approximately 30 minutes longer, and will be replaced by buses between Fareham and Portsmouth.
- London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Guildford services will be diverted, taking approximately 30 minutes longer, and will be replaced by buses between Havant and Portsmouth.
Peter Williams, SWR’s customer and commercial director, said: “When this vital maintenance is completed, our customers can expect better journeys and a more reliable railway. We appreciate our customers’ patience and once again would like to encourage them to check before travelling.”
Services on SWR’s suburban network will also be affected and many will be replaced by buses. Customers should check at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey.