Temporary timetable restores train services at Basingstoke
Network rail has carried out work to get more trains running between Basingstoke and Woking after the recent landslip
South Western Railway has restarted services between Basingstoke and Woking after a major landslip at Hook.
Forty metres of track was left in mid-air after heavy rain caused the slip more than a week ago.
Last week there were no stopping trains between Basingstoke and Woking and a very limited service to London and the south-west from Basingstoke.
A spokesperson for network rail Wessex said:
"We have some better news for customers following the Hook landslip. At the weekend, our engineers successfully changed the track layout so that we can have a line running in each direction.
"It's a short term solution which means we can run more trains while teams work round the clock to fix the embankment. That's expected to take a number of weeks, but we'll update you with a better timescale to reopen all four lines as soon as we can."
A South Western Railway spokesperson added:
"Services between London and Weymouth, Portsmouth via Eastleigh, Salisbury/Exeter and Basingstoke will be restored, albeit at a reduced frequency.
"Winchfield and Fleet will be served by one train per hour in both directions.
"Hook will be served by one train per hour in the direction of London. Trains cannot call at Hook in the direction of Basingstoke.
"A minibus service will instead run from Basingstoke to Hook.
"Reduced capacity on the line means only one stopping service per hour will run between Basingstoke and London Waterloo.
"A limited bus service will operate alongside train services between Basingstoke and Woking."
It's expected the work to repair the landslip and restore normal services will take several weeks.