Surrey and Hampshire rail passengers warned ‘check before you travel’ ahead of days of disruption
Some services could take as much as 50 minutes longer
Last updated 5th Aug 2021
Passengers traveling on trains from London Waterloo to Surrey and Hampshire should check before they travel ahead of three days of improvement work, says Network Rail.
Between Saturday 7 and Monday 9 August work is taking place at Weybridge to replace track and points which will allow speed restrictions affecting trains between Woking and Waterloo to be removed.
However, the scale of the work means that there will be major changes to train times, with some journeys taking between 30 and 50 minutes longer.
Services from Alton to London Waterloo will take around 50 minutes longer, while services from London Waterloo to Alton will start at Woking.
Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “We really appreciate the patience of our passengers during this upgrade to a critical section of the route for both local and long distance services.
“The improvements will enable us to remove long-standing speed restrictions and deliver faster and more reliable journeys across a large section of the network."
He added: “I know how inconvenient it is to close the line for three days including a Monday, but having looked at passenger numbers, delivering the work in this way will be less disruptive than spreading it over several separate weekends.
“We’re taking advantage of the closure to deliver as much work as we can and I would encourage passengers to check before travelling and to plan ahead as some journeys will take longer.”
When the points are renewed and the track’s alignment is corrected, trains will be able to pass through the area at the full speed of 90 miles per hour.