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Friday 29 Nov 2024

Vital engineering work in the Woking area to impact Main Line services over Christmas and New Year

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

• Key upgrade work at Brookwood, between Farnborough and Woking, will mean significantly longer journeys
• Services between Waterloo and Southampton/Weymouth will be diverted, adding 45 minutes to journeys
• There will be no direct services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids
• Passengers encouraged to check before travelling and plan journeys in advance

Network Rail is encouraging passengers to plan ahead and check before travelling over the festive period as essential engineering works in the Woking area on the South West Main Line will severely impact services and mean significantly longer journeys.

On Sunday 15 December 2024 and between Monday 23 December 2024 and Sunday 5 January 2025 inclusive, train services will be revised while Network Rail work to upgrade the railway at Brookwood, between Farnborough and Woking.

Network Rail team of engineers will be renewing the switches and crossings - the equipment which allows trains to change tracks - at Pirbright Junction, where the line to Aldershot leaves the South West Main Line towards Basingstoke.

Engineers will also be carrying out work to strengthen embankments in the area, reducing the chance of landslips in the area and keeping passengers moving. Maintenance teams will also be carrying out tamping - the compacting of the stones that support the tracks - between Hook and Farnborough.

Teams will also be improving drainage between Brookwood and Farnborough near Basingstoke Canal, including installing new pipes into the embankments and catch-pits, to reduce the risk of flooding.

South Western Railway (SWR) services will be altered or diverted and some journey times will be significantly longer.

Rail replacement buses will operate as follows:

• Sunday 15 December – Basingstoke to Woking
• Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 December – Farnborough to Woking
• Friday 27 December to Friday 3 January – Farnborough to Woking
• Sunday 5 January:
  • o Aldershot to Weybridge
  • o Basingstoke to Weybridge
  • o Andover to Woking
  • o Winchester to Woking
  • o Weybridge to Guildford

Journeys between London Waterloo and Southampton Central, Poole and Weymouth will be diverted via Guildford, taking approximately 45 minutes longer. There will be no direct services between London Waterloo, Salisbury and Exeter St Davids.

Services between London Waterloo and Alton, Guildford and Farnham, and London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Basingstoke will also be affected.

There will be no train or bus services on the SWR network on Wednesday 25 (Christmas Day) and Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day). Details of how this engineering work will affect journeys can be found at www.southwesternrailway.com/woking-christmas. Passengers are advised to plan ahead and check before you travel.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “We’re urging passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel over the festive period while we carry out these essential improvements to the railway.

“Our teams will be working around the clock to upgrade the railway for the benefit of our passengers, which once complete, will mean smoother and more reliable journeys.

“We know there is never a good time to close the railway however the festive period presents us with an opportune time to complete more complex upgrades such as these as we know there are fewer passengers travelling and that the railway is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

“I like to thank passengers in advance for their patience and understanding while we complete this work.”

Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s customer and commercial director, said: “It’s important that customers plan their journeys in advance and check before they travel over the Christmas and New Year’s period.

“There will be significant changes to train services that travel between Woking, Farnborough and Basingstoke, changing as engineering work progresses. Rail replacement buses will operate, train services will be diverted or altered, and journeys will take significantly longer. We’re sorry for the disruption this will cause and are very grateful for our customers’ patience.”