Train travelers urged to plan ahead as Network Rail closes New Forest and Christchurch lines for five days for ‘critical’ maintenance


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An OCCUPIED stretch of railroad through the New Forest will close for five days in November as engineers perform major maintenance.

Network Rail said that closing the line between Southampton and Bournemouth from Monday 1 to Friday 5 November would allow it to make a series of long-term improvements to make journeys more reliable and resistant to extreme weather conditions.

Engineers will modernize the track, signals and drainage between Totton and Bournemouth; and remove speed limits. The aim is to speed up the South Western Railway (SWR) and Cross Country journeys through the region.

Travelers are advised to plan their trips in advance as Network Rail work is carried out on the New Forest line in November.

Claiming that changes in travel patterns mean the railroad is now busier on weekends, Network Rail maintained that it had chosen a midweek closure rather than multiple weekend closures to minimize disruption. disturbances.

Commuters are urged to plan their trips in advance over the five days and expect them to take longer as replacement rail buses are rolled out.

Network Rail Wessex Route Director Mark Killick said: “To help the country rebuild after the pandemic and as a reflection of an increase in leisure and tourist travelers on the south coast, this critical job will be completed over five weekdays rather than shutting down the railroad. over several weekends.

“We never take the decision to close a busy section of railroad lightly and have carefully considered our approach to confirm that this is the best option.”

Work at several locations over the five days will include track level improvements at Brockenhurst, Sway and Hinton Admiral.

Drainage improvements will be made in the Sway area to help reduce delays and cancellations during extreme weather conditions; and maintenance of bridges in the Christchurch area will aim to ensure that the structures can support tracks and trains for years to come.

There will also be track and signaling maintenance at Totton, Beaulieu Road, Brockenhurst and Christchurch, as well as new rails installed between Hinton Admiral and Christchurch and new ballasts and ties at Sway to improve reliability.

On Mondays, buses will replace SWR services between Southampton Central and Bournemouth and between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier.

Cross-country services from Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly will end at Southampton Central, with buses replacing trains from Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central to Bournemouth. Buses will not stop at Beaulieu Road.

From Tuesday to Friday, SWR services between London Waterloo and Weymouth will end at Brockenhurst, with buses continuing to Bournemouth.

Services from London Waterloo to Poole SWR will end at Southampton Central, with buses taking over at Brockenhurst and Bournemouth.

Cross-country services from Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly will end at Southampton Central, with replacement buses from Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central to Bournemouth.

Alan Penlington, Director of Customer Experience for SWR, said: “The work Network Rail is doing starting November 1 will mean big improvements for our customers. Not only a more reliable and resilient service, but also visible improvements.

“I realize that this work will cause significant disruption for our customers and would like to remind anyone who travels to plan ahead to see if their trip is affected. “



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