Media centre

Friday 21 May 2021

New rails for a growing railway as Network Rail engineers tackle Bank Holiday work in Surrey and Wiltshire

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

New rails are on the way to Surrey and Wiltshire this late May Bank Holiday as engineers continue Network Rail’s investment in the railway.

As passenger numbers begin to grow again, railway staff are maintaining and upgrading lines across the region to continue to deliver the high levels of punctuality seen over the last year.

Next weekend – 29-31 May – will see a major renewal of track between Warminster and Salisbury – near the former railway station of Heytesbury – and the refurbishment of a critical railway junction at Leatherhead, where lines to Effingham Junction and Dorking diverge.

In addition, work continues on the long term project to install new signalling across the route – this time at Aldershot on Sunday.

Mark Killick, route director for Wessex, said: “It’s great to see more people returning to the railway and trains and stations beginning to buzz again.

“The investment we’re making – nationally around £80m this weekend alone – is all going into making the train service as reliable as we can as passenger numbers grow. Track renewals and maintenance like our project near Salisbury and Leatherhead don’t just give people a quieter and more comfortable ride, but they give punctuality a boost too.

“So, thank you for your patience while we do the work, and welcome back!”

Alan Penlington, SWR’s customer experience director, said: “I realise these works will mean disruption for our customers; however, replacement buses will be in operation wherever lines need to be closed. As customers return to the railway, it’s important that these works take place to improve the performance and reliability of the network for years to come. I’d like to thank customers for their patience and remind anyone who’s traveling to plan ahead to see if their journey is affected.”

The work at Leatherhead Junction will see the heavy refurbishment of a set of points, which allow trains to move from one track to another, along with other crucial maintenance work in the area. As a result, Southern services to Dorking will be affected, along with SWR trains to Effingham Junction and beyond.

For travel information please check with local operators or National Rail.