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Thursday 27 Apr 2023

Rail customers travelling between Feltham and Wokingham and Basingstoke are being reminded to check before they travel ahead of engineering works taking place over the early May bank holiday

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Wessex

From Saturday 29 April to Monday 1 May customers are being asked to check before they travel as buses replace trains across parts of Berkshire and Hampshire.

Over this weekend, Network Rail’s engineers will be making track improvements at Worting Junction, a key railway junction to the west of Basingstoke which runs services on the West of England line.

To improve the reliability of the track, engineers will be renewing a set of switches and crossings (the moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another), laying new track, earthworks, tamping - which is the process of compacting the ballast (the stones that support the track), as well as carrying out tunnel inspections at Litchfield.

Alongside this, work to upgrade the signalling (the railways traffic light system) between Feltham and Wokingham will continue. On Sunday 30 April the line between Virginia Water to Reading and Ascot to Aldershot will be closed for engineers to carry out maintenance work.

Work to upgrade the level crossing at Grove Park and track inspections will mean the line between Barnes and Feltham will also mean this part of the railway will also be closed on Sunday 30 April.

From Saturday 29 April to Monday 1 May, buses will replace trains between:

• Woking and Basingstoke
• Woking and Winchester via Basingstoke
• Woking and Andover via Basingstoke
• Reading and Andover via Basingstoke

On Sunday 30 April, buses will replace trains between:

• Virginia Water and Reading
• Reading and Aldershot
• London Waterloo to Reading services will terminate at Virginia Water
• Barnes to Feltham via Hounslow Loop

Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “I’d like to thank customers for their patience while we carry out these important improvement works this weekend.

“I recognise there is never a good time to close the railway, but we have chosen to carry out this work over the bank holiday weekend as we know there are fewer customers travelling during this time and it will minimise future disruption to regular travellers on this important stretch of line.”

Stuart Meek, chief operating officer for South Western Railway, said: "Customers should please check their whole journey before they travel this bank holiday weekend, as essential engineering works mean buses will replace trains in parts of London, Berkshire, and Hampshire across the three days.

"We are sorry to customers for the extra time that this will add to their journeys, but the upgrades to track and signalling will modernise equipment and improve the reliability of services going forward."