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Monday 5 Jan 2026

COMPLETED: Full service resumes between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction after upgrades to South Western Railway network

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

This morning, 5 January, South Western Railway services resumed between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction following 11 days of engineering work on one of the busiest stretches of railway in the country

More than 350 engineers have worked around the clock since Christmas Day to deliver  a series of  upgrades in the Queenstown Road area including:

• Renewing approximately 1,000 metres of track, including the electrified third rail
• Replacing switches and crossings, allowing the trains to change tracks
• Completing signalling and power upgrades
• Installing new ballast and sleepers to strengthen track foundations
• Altering platforms at Queenstown Road station to fit the new track layout

The work was carried out  over the Christmas period, when customer numbers  fall significantly, making it the least disruptive  time to complete  these vital upgrades.  Completing the work at this time avoided the need for  eight separate weekend closures.

Speaking on behalf of South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, George Murrell, Route Renewals Director, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while we carried out these essential upgrades  at London Waterloo. The improvements  will make one of the busiest stretches of railway in the country more resilient and customers can expect fewer faults and delays, together with smoother and more reliable journeys.”

There will be two partial closures between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction over the weekends of 10 - 11 January and 31 January - 1 February to allow for further maintenance works to take place in the area. Customers are advised to use SWR’s journey planner at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey