South Western Railway (SWR) has issued a warning to customers as engineering work disrupts services for the next two weekends. Maintenance in the Wimbledon area, south west London, will affect services across the SWR network, with many being replaced by buses on Saturday, January 18 and Sunday January 19 and Saturday January 25th and Sunday 26th.
Network Rail engineers are replacing about 800 metres of track, ballast, and sleepers between Wimbledon and Earlsfield. They will also replace points and install 100 meters of conductor rail, which powers trains. SWR says this will improve the reliability of the track and provide a smoother ride for passengers.
Services between London Waterloo and Chessington South, Dorking, Hampton Court, London Waterloo via Kingston, and Woking (stopping) will not run. with bus replacement services operating between Clapham Junction and;
- Chessington South via Wimbledon
- Worcester Park via Wimbledon
- Surbiton via Kingston
- Surbiton via Wimbledon (Saturdays only)
- Surbiton (non-stop)
- Hampton Court via Surbiton
- Effingham Junction via Surbiton
- Weybridge via Surbiton
- Twickenham via Kingston (Sunday 26 January only)
Buses will also operate between Addlestone and Weybridge, while Berrylands station will be closed. Services between London Waterloo and Alton and Basingstoke will be revised, starting and ending their journeys at Woking.
Longer distance services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth will be revised and diverted, taking approximately 30 minutes longer than usual.
Engineering work will also affect services in the Ash area on Saturday, January 19, Saturday. January 25 and Sunday, January 26. Services will be revised and buses will run between Aldershot and Guildford.
Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s customer and commercial director, said: “Customers should plan ahead if they intend to travel on these weekends in January, as engineers carry out vital maintenance at one of the busiest parts of our network. There will be a large number of service changes, with rail replacement buses operating on our suburban routes, and with long-distance services revised and diverted.
“Diverted services will take around 30 minutes longer than usual, so customers should allow extra time when travelling. We are very sorry for the disruption and are very grateful for our customers’ patience.”
Passengers planning to travel on these weekend can plan ahead by visiting SWR’s website.