No trains to Portsmouth Harbour station for 8 days as work begins this weekend

This Saturday the 15th of January, Network Rail engineers return to Landport Viaduct to complete strengthening work, meaning no trains to Portsmouth Harbour station for 8 days.

The Victorian metal viaduct is one of Portsmouth’s most prominent railway structures, and was built in 1876 and serves two platforms at Portsmouth & Southsea station.

The project has already seen 10 of its 17 spans strengthened during January 2021 and the final 7 will be completed starting from the 15th of January.

An eight-day closure between Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour. The closure will affect South Western Railway (SWR), Great Western Railway (GWR) and Southern services.

The closure will bring the following changes:

From Saturday the 15th to Saturday the 22nd of January, buses will replace trains from Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea to Portsmouth Harbour.
On Sunday the 23rd of January, buses will replace trains from Havant and Fareham to Portsmouth Harbour.
On the weekends of the 15th and 16th of January and also the 22nd and 23rd of January, services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth & Southsea will be diverted via Chertsey, with journeys taking longer than normal.

Once the work is complete and the viaduct fully strengthened, train services will be able to run at full line speed through Portsmouth & Southsea and will keep services running on time.

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Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said:

“Our long-term project to strengthen the viaduct at Portsmouth & Southsea station is almost complete and this last eight-day closure will allow our engineers to improve the structure’s steelwork and keep trains running through to Portsmouth Harbour for years to come.

“It’s just not possible to do this level of work on the viaduct with trains still running but I appreciate it’s hard for people who rely on the railway and we’re very grateful for their patience with us. Customers should plan ahead next week if they can, as buses will replace trains and some journeys will take longer than normal.”

Aerial view of Portsmouth & Southsea Station — Credit: Network Rail

Christian Neill, SWR’s Customer Experience Director, said:

“The improvement work planned in the Portsmouth area in early January will mean a more resilient service for our customers as well as strengthening this important piece of Victorian railway engineering for years to come.

“Closing the railway during the working week and at the weekend will, of course, inconvenience our customers and I’d like to thank anyone travelling with us during these works for their patience and understanding.”