SOUTH Western Railway have urged passengers to plan ahead as a Hampshire line shuts for nine days after a major upgrade is announced.

Network Rail has warned that the Portsmouth Direct line will close for nine consecutive days between Guildford and Petersfield this weekend for a major upgrade that will see delays for South Western Railway passengers.

Buses will replace trains between Guildford and Petersfield from Saturday February 12 to Sunday February 20 as engineers work round the clock on critical track maintenance, and upgrades to signalling, level crossings and stations.

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The work is part of a £94 million programme of improvements between Farncombe and Petersfield that will eventually replace the 1970s signalling with a state-of-the-art system controlled from Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre.

Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “When the resignalling is finished in 2024, passengers travelling between London Waterloo and Portsmouth will enjoy a much more reliable railway, with fewer delays.

“There’s never a good time to close such a busy part of the network, but doing the work over nine consecutive days means we can minimise disruption for passengers, the people who live by the railway and the wider economy.

“We’re working closely with South Western Railway to make sure people can still travel, but I would encourage passengers to plan ahead and check before you travel.”

Christian Neill, SWR’s customer experience director, said: “The work taking place on the Portsmouth line marks the start of a huge investment in railway infrastructure which will improve customer journeys for years to come.

"I realise these works will mean disruption for our customers; however, replacement buses will be in operation wherever lines need to be closed and I’d encourage anyone travelling with us to check to see if their journey will be affected. I’d also like to thank our customers for their patience whilst these essential works are carried out."

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Railway engineers will tackle much of the preparation work for the resignalling programme, including laying new cables at Farncombe East, Milford, Haslemere, Princes Bridge and Petersfield level crossings.

Engineers will also carry out critical track maintenance work, including drainage improvements to reduce flood-related delays, as well as replacing the wheel timbers – the heavy wooden blocks which support the track – on the bridge over the River Wey.

 

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