Railway trips during Easter may face disruptions due to track work, which officials say benefits taxpayers more effectively.
Network Rail will conduct track maintenance and upgrade work between Southampton Central and Fareham, impacting Great Western Railway services.
Railway services will be affected from Saturday, April 12th, through Sunday, April 20th.
On all specified days, Great Western Railway trains bound for Portsmouth Harbour will take an alternate path between Romsey and Fareham. This change replaces the previous halt at Southampton Central with a new stop at Eastleigh instead.
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On every scheduled date, replacement buses will operate between Southampton Central and Fareham instead of train services.
South Western Railway services will continue operating between Eastleigh and Southampton Central from Monday, April 14th through Saturday, April 19th. Additionally, trains will run between Romsey and Southampton Central on Saturday, April 12th as well as from Monday, April 14th until Saturday, April 19th.
Replacement buses will operate between Southampton Central and Eastleigh during the weekend of April 12 and 13 as well as on Sunday, April 20.
Replacement buses will also be provided between Southampton Central and Romsey on Sunday, April 13, as well as during the weekend of April 19 and 20.
Additional engineering tasks are scheduled for the Southampton region on Sunday, April 27.
Mark Goodall, the Director of the Wessex route for Network Rail, stated:
We realize that closing this extensive section of rail track along the southern coastline will lead to disturbances, and we genuinely apologize to travelers for any resulting inconveniences.
Conventionally, during school vacations, fewer individuals utilize the railways; therefore, closing the line for nine consecutive days will benefit both passengers and taxpayers more effectively than multiple weekend shutdowns.
We recommend that travelers take some time to plan ahead and verify their details prior to departure.
Jordan Welsby, the GWR Station Manager for Westbury, stated: "These enhancements are part of our continuous investment initiative, aimed at maintaining consistently dependable service."
GWR trains will keep running between Portsmouth Harbour and Bristol Temple Meads or Cardiff Central by taking a different route.
Bus replacement services will be offered when trains are unavailable for travel to or from any impacted stations.
It's crucial for customers to know that these alternate travel options might significantly increase trip durations, therefore, careful planning beforehand is advised.