This Bank Holiday weekend, Saturday, 29th April to Monday, 1st May, because of essential engineering work. train services will be disrupted through Basingstoke, between Barnes and Feltham, and from London Waterloo to Reading,
To the west of Basingstoke, Network Rail engineers will be making track improvements at Worting Junction on the West of England line including renewing a set of switches and crossings, laying new track, earthworks, tamping the ballast, and carrying out tunnel inspections at Litchfield.
Throughout the weekend from Saturday, 29th April to Monday, 1st May, buses will replace trains between:
- Woking and Basingstoke;
- Woking and Winchester via Basingstoke;
- Woking and Andover via Basingstoke;
- Reading and Andover via Basingstoke.
Between Feltham and Wokingham, work to upgrade the signalling will continue throughout the weekend,
Between Virginia Water and Reading, and Ascot and Aldershot, the line will be closed on Sunday, 30th April, to allow engineers to carry out maintenance work. London Waterloo to Reading services will terminate at Virginia Water and buses will replace trains between Virginia Water and Reading and between Reading and Aldershot.
Between Barnes and Feltham, on Sunday, 30th April, the line will be closed while engineers work to upgrade the level crossing at Grove Park and carry out track inspections. Buses will replace trains between Barnes and Feltham via the Hounslow Loop.
The disruption comes just after South Western's full timetable was restored today, Friday, 28th April.
Customers who intend to travel on any of these lines this weekend should check before they travel at https://www.southwesternrailway.com/train-times due to buses replacing trains.
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.”
