As part of a £375m programme of signalling upgrade works being carried out by Network Rail will mean that February’s half term will see the closure various rail services along the Wessex route.

During the February half-term a dual railway closure will see lines closed for 9 days at Network Rail continue to bring the old signalling system up to modern day standards.

From Saturday 11 to Sunday 19 February, buses will replace trains from Staines to Windsor & Eton Riverside. On the last weekend buses will run from Hounslow to Virginia Water.

A midweek closure between Reading and Bracknell and Reading to Guildford will also be taking place simultaneously from Monday 13 to Friday 17 February.  

Throughout these closures, requisite signalling upgrades works will be conducted as part of a £375m programme. The program covers over 80 miles of railway and 500 pieces of signalling equipment which started in 2021. Phase five of this project will see follow up works, due to be completed in 2024.

Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said:

 “It’s really great to see phase three and four of this huge resignalling project taking place. The current signalling system dates back to the early 1970s and during a long-term programme we’ve been modernising it to improve reliability across the Southern region.

“We’re aware that Wessex route can sometimes be one of the worst affected in terms of signalling issues and completing this work will help prevent those incidents and will allow us to increase capacity for trains with fewer delays, improved safety and lower running costs.

#signalling #design #wessexline #networkrail #lineclosures