Rail users asked to reconsider weekend journeys over landslip work
Rail users this weekend have been asked to reconsider their train journeys as work to shore up a landslip sees available tracks halved.
Cracks up to 45 metres long and 50cm wide were found on a 100-metre slope near the St John’s Hill Road overbridge between Brookwood and Woking in Surrey after sensors detected movement late last month.
Network Rail geotech experts have this week been installing 170 sheet piles and driving 10-metre-long pieces of steel into the ground at the base of the slope to protect the railway.
Work will continue this weekend with only two of the four tracks through the area available until Sunday. This will see a significantly reduced service between Woking and Basingstoke, affecting routes to Exeter, Salisbury, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth.
Services on those routes will also start later than usual, around 9.30am, on Sunday.
Normal service is expected to resume on Monday, but with only three of the four tracks available, customers should check their journeys before travelling.
It’s also likely that engineers will return on Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th December to continue the repairs, which will again see two of the four lines closed.
Steve Tyler, SWR performance and planning director, said: “I’m pleased that after a really tough week for our customers we’re able to provide the welcome news that a normal service will resume between Woking and Basingstoke on Monday 11th December.
“In the meantime, we’d like to remind customers that a severely reduced service will operate between Woking and Basingstoke on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th December. Customers should check before travelling.
“We are advising customers not to attempt to travel between Salisbury and Exeter St David’s on Saturday and Sunday. This is because only a very limited shuttle service is operating between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction, and rail replacement bus services are still subject to disruption due to flooding on local roads.
“We’re very sorry for the disruption our customers have experienced in recent weeks and are very grateful for their patience.”
Plan your journey at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey[1]
References
- ^ southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey (www.southwesternrailway.com)