Normal train services resumed on Saturday, 29th March between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside after being closed from 22nd March to facilitate vital upgrades to the railway infrastructure.

While the line was closed, engineers laid over 700 metres of new track, including on the 174-year-old Black Potts Railway Bridge, which spans the River Thames near Windsor Castle.

To provide passengers with smoother and more reliable journeys, the track has been welded together to form much longer sections between rail joints.

An additional problem on the line to Windsor is extra stress placed on the rails by a sharp curve.

To alleviate the stress, engineers installed lateral supports to the sleepers which improved the strength and durability of the rails..

Engineers took advantage of the closure between Staines and Windsor to carry out other work, including:

• Maintaining and improving the track between Staines and Egham, and from Staines to Ascot and Woking.
• Near Addlestone, carrying out structural repairs to a bridge over the River Wey.
• In the Feltham area, installing new sleepers.
• In Datchet, widening the footpath on one side of Mays Level Crossing.
• Carrying out vegetation management.

When maintenance work was carried out in March 2024, it caused all train services to be cancelled between Waterloo and Hounslow, Staines, Windsor & Eton Riverside.

Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director, commented that the operator is pleased that the line between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside has reopened following the essential maintenance work.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience over the last week while we carried out this essential maintenance work in the Windsor area. This week-long closure has allowed us to carry out a complex re-railing job over Black Potts Railway Bridge amongst a number of other important jobs and will ensure the continued safe and reliable running of services on the Windsor line for years to come.”

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director