Plan ahead: Engineering work will affect South Western Railway services on 15 and 16 March

SOUTH Western Railway is advising customers of engineering work in London affecting services on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 March.

Network Rail engineers will carry out vital maintenance on a set of points – moveable sections of rail that allow trains to change from one track to another – at a busy junction between Queenstown Road (Battersea) and Clapham Junction.

Train services that run between London Waterloo and Barnes, Kingston, Reading, Richmond, Twickenham and Windsor & Eton Riverside, and some services via Surbiton, will be affected.

On Saturday 15 March, buses will replace trains between Clapham Junction and Barnes. The following service changes will apply:

• Services between London Waterloo and London Waterloo via Richmond will run between Barnes and Kingston via Richmond only.
• Services between London Waterloo and Weybridge via Staines will start from Barnes.
• Services between London Waterloo and both Hampton Court and Guildford via Cobham & Stoke D’Abernon will start at Surbiton.
• Services between London Waterloo and both Reading and Windsor & Eton Riverside will be diverted between Clapham Junction and Twickenham, with altered stopping patterns.
• Stopping services between London Waterloo and Alton, Basingstoke and Woking will be revised, with altered stopping patterns.
• Services from London Waterloo to Portsmouth via Guildford will depart earlier than usual

On Sunday 16 March, buses will replace trains between Clapham Junction and Twickenham via Richmond, and between Kew Bridge and Clapham Junction. The following service changes will apply:

• Afternoon and evening services between London Waterloo and Kingston via Hounslow will not run
• Services between London Waterloo and London Waterloo via Richmond and Kingston will only run between Richmond and Kingston
• Services between London Waterloo and Guildford via Cobham & Stoke D’Abernon will start at Surbiton.
• Services between London Waterloo and Woking via Staines will start from Kew Bridge.
• Services between London Waterloo and Reading will be diverted between Clapham Junction and Twickenham, with altered stopping patterns.
• Services between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside will be revised, with an hourly service starting from Richmond, calling at all stations.
• On both dates, Queenstown Road (Battersea) will be closed all day and customers are advised to use alternative stations.

Customers are also reminded that the following weekend, Saturday 22, sees the start of engineering work between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside. Buses will replace trains throughout, with additional service changes on other lines on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23.

Customers are advised to plan ahead using a journey planner and check southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey.

Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s customer and commercial director, said:

“On the weekend of Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 March there will be many changes to train services. Rail replacement bus services will run and some journeys may take longer than usual, so it’s important that customers plan ahead.

“For more information we recommend checking our website. We are very sorry for the disruption that this will cause, however, customers can expect a more reliable railway when this engineering work is complete.”

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

“We know that closing the lines in and out of London Waterloo station will be disruptive to passengers and we’re sorry to anyone who will be impacted by this work.

“The junction between Queenstown Road (Battersea) and Clapham Junction is extremely busy and needs renewing to keep trains running safely and reliably.

“We urge passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel and thank them for their patience while we carry out this vital work.”