Network Rail is advising passengers travelling through the vital rail corridor around Eastleigh to plan ahead and leave plenty of time to reach destinations over the Easter weekend, with warnings of disruption as essential engineering work takes place from Friday, 3 April to Monday, 6 April.

The railway between Winchester and St Denys will be closed for four days while engineers from Network Rail carry out maintenance on one of the region’s busiest rail corridors. Around 3,500 trains pass through the route every week, carrying both passengers and freight.

During the closure, buses will replace trains between Winchester and Southampton Central.

Engineers will focus on maintaining switches and crossings, the sections of track that allow trains to change lines, helping prevent faults and ensuring smoother journeys. Crews will also carry out tamping and stoneblowing, lifting and realigning the track while packing ballast underneath to keep it stable.

Train services will also be altered during the works, including those between London Waterloo and Weymouth, which will be diverted via Guildford and Havant, adding extra journey time. Trains between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh will terminate at Winchester.

Replacement buses will run hourly between Winchester and Southampton Central, with a fast service calling at Southampton Airport Parkway and a stopping service serving Shawford and Eastleigh. Additional buses will connect Romsey, Chandler’s Ford and Fareham.

 “These improvements will provide better journeys for customers and a more reliable railway for freight, heading to one of the country’s busiest and most important freight terminals in Southampton.”

George Murrell, Route Renewals Director.