Engineering work to impact train services over the Festive period

Network Rail is encouraging passengers to plan ahead and check before travelling over Christmas and New Year, as tens of thousands of railway engineers will be working round the clock across the country to improve our railway – aiming to make it better, and more reliable.

Across Network Rail’s Wessex route – which serves the towns and communities in part or all of the counties of Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire – a number of key pieces of engineering work will result in changes to services.

During the Christmas and New Year holiday season fewer people use trains, so Network Rail carry out these works at the same time to avoid causing too much disruption.

Here are the works that may disrupt journeys to and from Salisbury. 

Upgrading the Sherrington Viaduct between Salisbury and Trowbridge

Between 24th December and 24th January – Buses will be replacing trains between Trowbridge and Salisbury.

Network Rail will be refurbishing the Sherrington Viaduct that runs over the River Wylye. They'll be strengthening the viaduct, as well as carrying out some masonry work to the abutments and piers. To strengthen the viaduct, they will be adding steel plates to the existing girders, giving them greater support. Once this is complete, they will be repainting the viaduct.

They will also be carrying out work to insulated block joints, which are mechanical joints which join two rails whilst keeping them electrically separate from each other, between Salisbury and Sherrington, as well as removing some dead or diseased trees in the same area.

This work has been timed to coincide with the Wales and Western region’s major upgrade work at Westbury station with the Southern region taking advantage of the closure to carry out additional improvement works.

Brookwood junction

Sunday 15 December – Buses will replace trains between Basingstoke and Aldershot to Woking.

Monday 16 December to Sunday 22 December – Services will be re-timed, and there will be no rail replacement bus.

Monday 23 December to Friday 3 January 2025 – Buses replace trains between Farnborough and Aldershot to Woking.

Sunday 5 January – Buses replace trains between Andover, Winchester and Aldershot to Woking.

Monday 6 January – Normal service resumes.

From Sunday, 15th December until Sunday 5 January (inclusive), engineers will working to upgrade the railway between Basingstoke and Woking. There will be no direct trains between Exeter/Salisbury and London Waterloo. Services between Waterloo and Southampton/Weymouth are diverted, taking 45 mins longer. No trains will be running between Guildford and Farnham.

Network Rail will renew the switches and crossings, which allow trains to change tracks, at Brookwood Junction. This is where the line to Ash Vale and Aldershot leaves the South West Main Line towards Basingstoke.

Engineers will also strengthen embankments at Ashmead and Hook, reducing the chance of landslips and keeping passengers moving. Maintenance teams will also perform tamping between Hook and Farnborough.

Teams will also improve drainage between Brookwood and Farnborough near Basingstoke Canal, installing new pipes into the embankments and catch-pits to reduce the risk of flooding.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “Passengers are advised to plan ahead this Christmas as we carry out these essential improvement works. Our teams will be working round the clock over the festive period to upgrade the railway for our passengers so they can benefit from smoother and more reliable journeys.

We do a significant amount of works over the Christmas period as we can keep disruption to a minimum, but we are sorry to passengers who are affected by these works and thank them for their patience.”

Peter Williams, Customer and Commercial Director for South Western Railway, said: “Our colleagues at Network Rail are carrying out a number of improvements on our network over the Christmas period, so it’s vital that customers plan their journeys in advance.

“Major engineering work in the Brookwood area, near Woking, will affect travel between London Waterloo and destinations such as Exeter, Salisbury, Southampton and Weymouth. 

“With some services on our network amended, diverted and replaced by buses, we recommend checking journey planners now. We’re sorry for the disruption this will cause and are grateful to our customers for their patience.”

Jordan Welsby, GWR Station Manager for Westbury, Wiltshire & Dorset, said: “This work forms part of an ongoing programme of maintenance, helping to ensure we can continue to provide consistent and reliable services. Rail replacement services will be provided for those stations that will not be served by GWR trains and, as an alternative, rail tickets can also be used to travel on local buses in the area.

"It’s important that customers are aware these alternative travel arrangements will make journey times much longer, so check before you travel.”