Media centre

Monday 24 Feb 2025

COMPLETED: Trains running again in the Portsmouth area after essential upgrade works

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

Trains are now running again through the Portsmouth area after a week-long closure to upgrade the railway.

Network Rail engineers worked around the clock across a number of different worksites, including:

• At Portcreek Junction, where engineers laid 390m of new track and 450m of electric rail (the part of the track that provides power to the trains) and replaced two sets of points – moveable sections of track that allow trains to move from one line to another.
• At Landport Viaduct, which supports the trains at Portsmouth & Southsea station, the wheel timbers (long blocks that supports track across a bridge) have been replaced with a synthetic alternative (Fibre-reinforced Foamed Urethane) that will last 30 years longer than the current wooden versions and will require less maintenance.
• Between Fareham and Portchester, a number of dead, diseased and dangerous trees have been cut back to reduce the amount of leavesfalling onto the railway and help keep trains running safely and on time.
• At Bedhampton, new track has been laid at the level crossing, which has also been given a fresh lick of paint.
• Refurbishment on the Fratton footbridge, ready to reopen in April.

These upgrades will help reduce the need for temporary speed restrictions and boost the reliability of the railway in this area, making for smoother, quieter, more comfortable and reliable journeys for passengers in the future.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carried out these vital upgrades to the railway in the Portsmouth area.

“We recognise there is never a good time to close the railway and we chose to undertake these upgrades during the half term week as we know there were fewer passengers travelling thereby reducing the impact of this work.

“This work is part of a wider programme to improve the railway connecting Portsmouth with the rest of the country and further improvement works will be carried out later this year.”

A South Western Railway spokesperson said: “We’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience during these vital engineering works. There is a further closure this weekend, Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 March, between Fareham, Havant and Portsmouth, and so we’re encouraging customers to once again check before travelling.”