Network Rail is reminding customers to plan ahead and allow plenty of time as buses replace South Western Railway (SWR), Great Western Railway (GWR), and Southern trains between Southampton Central and Havant, Eastleigh and Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour this February half term – starting today (Monday 12 February).
Between Monday 12 February until Friday 16 February, Network Rail engineers will be working around the clock to upgrade the railway in the Portsmouth and Fareham areas.
At Portsmouth Harbour station, engineers will renew 1094 metres of track across four platforms at the station. The work will involve replacing jointed rails, examining rails, fixing baseplates to track and installing sleepers which will extend the life expectancy of the track for a further 20 years meaning less maintenance will be needed.
While the railway in Portsmouth is closed, engineers will also refurbish 592 metres of rail at Vernon Bridge. The work involves replacing jointed rails as well as renewing wheel timbers – the heavy wooden blocks which support the track on Portsmouth’s iconic Landport viaduct.
In the Fareham area, engineers will replace sleepers and ballast (track stones) as well as renew 600m of jointed curved rail to provide customers with smoother journeys.
Engineers will also continue upgrading the signalling system between St Denys and Swanwick as part of the wider Southampton Area Life Extension programme which will see over 12,000 metres of signalling cables installed to bring the system up to modern standards and extend it’s life by a further 50 years, meaning fewer faults and delays.
Extra work includes upgrades to switches and crossings (sections of track that help trains move from one side to another) and clearing trees and shrubs.
Jeff Rose, Network Rail’s blockade programme manager, said: “We’re very sorry for any inconvenience our works will cause to the thousands of customers who use this important stretch of line and live between Portsmouth and Southampton. The decision to close the railway is never taken lightly, however we have chosen the February half term to minimise disruption to as many people as possible.
“These works are essential to maintaining and improving railway reliability in the Portsmouth and Fareham areas and will help keep the railway safe. We know that by completing these works now, our customers will benefit for years to come and we’d like to thank them for their patience while we carry out these vital reliability upgrades.”
Image credit: Network Rail
