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Wednesday 30 Sep 2026

ONE MONTH TO GO: October half-term railway upgrades between Staines and Windsor

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

• Engineering work takes place between Monday 26 October and Sunday 1 November affecting train services in the Staines, Windsor, Hounslow, Feltham and Virginia Water areas

 

• Bridge and track upgrades form part of wider plan to reduce delays and improve reliability between London Waterloo, Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside

 

• Customers should plan their journeys carefully as buses will replace trains

Improvements are coming for South Western Railway’s (SWR) route between Staines and Windsor this October.

During the October half-term, from Monday 26 October to Sunday 1 November, engineers will carry out essential track and bridge maintenance work between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside, as part of ongoing investment in railway infrastructure to improve reliability and resilience for customers across the network.

Buses will replace trains between Monday 26 October and Sunday 1 November, and customers should plan their journeys carefully - full details can be found below.

At a bridge between Staines and Wraysbury, engineers will be replacing 28 wheel timbers, the wooden blocks that support passing trains, to ensure trains can continue to travel safely at full speed, helping keep services running on time.

In Windsor, engineers will replace 30 long timbers, wooden blocks that support multiple tracks, on the approach to Windsor & Eton Riverside station. The new timbers will support the more than 70 train services that use the station every weekday and improve the railway’s long-term resilience.

Engineers will also renew the switches and crossings near Staines station, where there is an important entry point for trains to enter service.

To carry out all of these improvements, the following service changes will apply:

• Monday 26 October to Sunday 1 November – buses will replace trains between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside
• Saturday 31 October to Sunday 1 November– buses will replace trains between Hounslow, Feltham and Virginia Water, and Feltham station will be closed on Sunday.

The work follows SWR and Network Rail Wessex’s plan to improve reliability across the network, including a £15 million investment in track and signalling improvements for the busy corridor between London Waterloo and Woking, targeting some of the most common causes of delays.  Services between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside join this corridor at Queenstown Road (Battersea), where further improvements are being delivered to support more reliable journeys.

Thomas Desmond, Operations Director for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said:

“These upgrades represent an important investment into the railway's future, improving reliability, reducing the likelihood of disruption and ensuring that we continue to provide a safe and dependable service for our customers.

“We’re thankful to our customers for their patience while we carry out these essential works over the October half- term. We recommend customers visit our website to check their journey before travelling.”

What this means for your journey 

Monday 26 to Friday 30 October  

Services between Staines and Windsor will be diverted.  

Two buses per hour will run between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside, calling at Wraysbury, Sunnymeads, and Datchet. 

Saturday 31 October  

Services between London Waterloo and Reading will be diverted. 

Services between London Waterloo and Weybridge will finish their journeys at Hounslow. 

Two buses per hour will run between Hounslow and Virginia Water, calling at Feltham, Staines and Egham.  

Two buses per hour will run between Hounslow and Virginia Water, calling at Feltham, Ashford, Staines and Egham.  

Two stopping buses per hour will run between Hounslow and Windsor & Eton Riverside, calling at Feltham, Ashford, Staines, Wraysbury, Sunnymeads, and Datchet. 

Two fast buses per hour will run between Feltham and Windsor & Eton Riverside, calling at Staines.  

Sunday 1 November 

Services between London Waterloo and Reading will be diverted.  

Services between London Waterloo and Woking will finish their journeys at Hounslow. 

The afternoon services between London Waterloo and Kingston will finish their journeys at Hounslow. 

Two buses per hour will run between Hounslow and Virginia Water, calling at Feltham, Staines and Egham.  

An hourly bus will run between Hounslow and Windsor & Eton Riverside, calling at, Ashford, Staines and Datchet.