05.03.14
Southampton rail line set for £20m investment
Network Rail is set to invest £20m in improvements on the Southampton rail line, in an attempt to increase the reliability of the train service in the area.
However, in order to carry out the work, there will be disruption to trains using Southampton Central station over eight weekends, including the Easter bank holiday weekend, starting 15 March and finishing on 4 May. These include services from South West Trains, Cross Country, Southern and First Great Western.
Over the last ten years, Southampton has seen a large increase in trains and passenger demand, putting the infrastructure under greater pressure.In fact, journeys on the South West main line have increased by 22% since 2008, according to Network Rail figures.
Almost 40,000 man-hours of round-the-clock work and 32 engineering trains of materials will be required to undertake the £20m investment project, which will see more than 30 sets of points and associated equipment replaced over the five weekends.
Jim Morgan, infrastructure director for the Network Rail/South West Trains Alliance, said: “This is a vital programme of investment to improve the reliability of train services for Southampton and the surrounding region. The work takes place on weekends from 15 March until early May, we recognise that this is not ideal and we are sorry for the inevitable disruption that will be caused to our passengers.”
Replacement buses will be in operation every weekend where work is taking place. Passengers are reminded to allow extra time for their journeys as times may be extended by up to 60 minutes.
Southern services will be starting and terminating at Woolston with a connecting bus for Southampton Central during the disruption. Services from South West Trains, Cross Country and First Great Western will be diverted or replaced by buses on certain routes during the period and passengers are advised to check with them before travelling.
Routes affected include:
- March 15: Southampton to Brockenhurst
- March 16: All lines to/from Southampton
- March 22 and 23: All lines to/from Southampton
- March 29 and 30: All lines to/from Southampton
- April 5 and 6: All lines to/from Southampton
- April 12 and 13: All lines to/from Southampton
- Easter weekend, April 18-21: All lines to/from Southampton
- April 27, All lines to/from Southampton
- May 4: All lines to/from Southampton
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