For nine days leading up to the Easter bank holiday weekend, train services will be severely disrupted in Hampshire and Dorset between Southampton, Portsmouth, and Bournemouth, and in southwest London.

The disruption is necessary to allow Network Rail engineers to carry out essential engineering work, including:

• Stabilising a railway cutting between Swanwick and Fareham after previous landslips in the area, by installing a sheet piled wall and adding rocks on the cutting slope to ensure stability.
• Strengthening the footbridge at Hamble station to reduce long-term maintenance costs.
• Clearing vegetation alongside the line between Fareham and Swanwick.
• Replacing wheel timbers on the viaduct over the River Itchen between Bitterne and St Denys with a synthetic alternative designed to last 30 years longer than the current wooden ones.
• Undertake rail maintenance work, including rail testing and lubrication, to ensure smoother and quieter journeys.

Changes to train services

Saturday, 12 April:

• Buses will replace trains between Eastleigh and Southampton Central.
• Buses will replace trains between Southampton Central and Fareham.
• Services between Southampton Central and Salisbury, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth will be revised.

Sunday, 13 April:

• Buses will replace trains between Southampton Central and Bournemouth, Eastleigh and Fareham.
• Buses will replace trains between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier.

Monday, 14 April to Good Friday, 18 April:

• Buses will replace trains between Southampton Central and Fareham, calling at all stations.

Easter Saturday, 19 April:

• Buses will replace trains between Southampton Central and Fareham, Southampton Central.
• Buses will replace trains between Bournemouth, Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier.
• Buses will replace trains between Romsey and Southampton Central via Redbridge.

Easter Sunday, 20 April:

• Buses will replace trains between Eastleigh and Bournemouth, Brockenhurst.
• Buses will replace trains between Lymington Pier, Romsey, and Southampton Central via Redbridge.
• Buses will replace trains between Southampton Central and Fareham.
• Buses will replace all trains from Southampton Central.

Easter Monday, 21 April :

• All lines will reopen with a Sunday (Bank Holiday) service in operation.

From Easter Saturday, 19 April to Easter Monday, 21 April:

• In south-west London, buses will replace trains between Twickenham and Teddington via Strawberry Hill.

Network Rail engineering work will also affect services over Easter train in southeast London, Kent and East Sussex, and in Essex and Cambridgeshire.

“We understand that shutting down such a large stretch of railway along the south coast will cause disruptions, and we sincerely apologise to passengers for any inconvenience. Traditionally, the school holidays see fewer people using the railway, so it is better for the passenger and taxpayer to close the line to make these improvements over the course of nine days, rather than have several weekend closures. During this time, we encourage passengers to plan ahead and check before you travel.”

Mark Goodall, Wessex Route Director for Network Rail