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Friday 3 Apr 2026

Portsmouth’s railway reopens in time for Easter after essential upgrade work

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

Track refurbishment and structural repairs have been completed and train services to Portsmouth Harbour resumed this morning (Friday 3 April).

During the six-day closure, from Saturday 28 March to Thursday 2 April, Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) engineers undertook £2 million worth of improvements south of Havant and Fareham, including:

• Replacing 62 wheel timbers, the long blocks of timber that support tracks on bridges, between Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour stations
• Structural repairs to Portcreek Viaduct, which connects the mainland with Portsmouth on the Isle of Portsea
• Tamping work, using a machine which lifts and moves the track to ensure the track is correctly aligned, to ensure smoother journeys
• Repairs to cable troughing between Farlington and Cosham to better protect signalling equipment and improve its reliability
• Refurbishment work on the footbridge at Fratton station

Combined, these improvement works have strengthened the resilience of the railway in the area, and improved its reliability for the many customers that travel on SWR, Southern and Great Western Railway services.

As well as renewing the railway over the past six days, work to upgrade signalling through the area continued.

Making the most of the line closure between Fareham, Havant and Portsmouth Harbour, teams carried out surveys and analysis to support the upgrade, which is due to be completed in 2028.

Tom McNamee, Infrastructure Director, speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, said: “We’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while we carried out these vital improvements to the railway in Portsmouth.

“By replacing aging assets and carrying out work on critical bridges and viaducts, passengers will benefit from smoother and more reliable journeys through the area.

“Once signalling upgrades are completed in 2028, passengers will profit from a railway that is more responsive, through integrated communication at the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre.”

The next line closure is planned between Monday 25 and Friday 29 May, with a further closure in the autumn. More details will be announced in due course.

Further information about the Portsmouth Direct Line upgrade can be found at: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-work/our-routes/wessex/portsmouth-direct-upgrade/