SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) is advising customers to plan ahead of the next two weekends in January due to engineering work.
Maintenance in the Wimbledon area will affect services across the SWR network, with long-distance services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth revised and diverted on the weekends of January 18-19 and 25-26.
Network Rail engineers will renew approximately 800 metres of track, ballast, and sleepers between Wimbledon and Earlsfield. They will also replace points (moveable sections of track that allow trains to move from one line to another) and install 100 meters of conductor rail, which powers trains.
This work will improve the reliability of the track in the area, reducing the number of faults caused by rail and wheel wear and provide customers with a smoother ride as the layout of the track is improved.
Direct trains will run to and from London Waterloo on these dates, however, they will take longer than usual. Customers are advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys.
- Services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will be revised and diverted, taking longer than normal. Some journeys will start and finish at Basingstoke.
- Services between London Waterloo and Alton will start and finish their journeys at Woking. On Sundays, these services will run hourly.
- Stopping services between London Waterloo and Basingstoke will start and finish their journeys at Woking. On Sundays, these services will run hourly.
- Services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Guildford will be revised and diverted. Some services will start and finish their journeys at Woking.
- On Saturdays, services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh will run between Basingstoke and Portsmouth Harbour only. On Sundays, services will run between Eastleigh and Portsmouth Harbour only.
- Services between London Waterloo and Weymouth will be revised and diverted.
- Suburban services in South West London and Surrey, to destinations including Chessington South, Dorking and Hampton Court, will be replaced by buses.
Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director, said: “Customers should plan ahead if they intend to travel on these weekends in January, as engineers carry out vital maintenance at one of the busiest parts of our network.
“There will be a large number of service changes, with rail replacement buses operating on our suburban routes, and with long-distance services revised and diverted. Diverted services will take around 30 minutes longer than usual, so customers should allow extra time when travelling.
“We are very sorry for the disruption and are very grateful for our customers’ patience.”
Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, said: “There’s never a good time to close the railway, and I’m sorry we are impacting passengers in the Wimbledon area over consecutive weekends.
“We’ve worked hard to find the least disruptive window to deliver these essential engineering works. However, completing the upgrades back-to-back is the most efficient and cost-effective option for the taxpayer.
“If you're planning to travel during our works, please plan ahead and check your journey at www.nationalrail.co.uk or with South Western Railway for the latest journey information and travel advice.”