Following the weekend closure of the railway line and cancellation of services between Hounslow, Staines, Windsor & Eton Riverside, earlier this morning, Tuesday, 16 January, the railway reopened as planned with the resumption of normal services.

All train services between Waterloo and Hounslow, Staines, Windsor & Eton Riverside had been cancelled since last Saturday, 13 January. Over the weekend in the Staines and Windsor area Network Rail engineers replaced around 1,100 m of track, renewed 538 m of rails, and laid 1,800 tonnes of ballast) to ensure smoother and more reliable passenger journeys.

Engineers took advantage of the closure to carry out additional work, including examining the infrastructure components, clearing litter and graffiti next to the railway, carrying out track maintenance and upgrading level crossings in the Egham area, and upgrading signalling and telecommunications equipment near Windsor.

Kevin Hoar, Network Rail project manager, said: “These works were really important for us to carry out as they will improve reliability of the railway line for customers travelling in and around southwest London.

“It’s always regrettable when we have to close the railway, but delivering this work alongside other small projects at the same time causes less disruption in the long run to our customers travelling on this important stretch of railway.

“We’re grateful to customers and local residents living alongside the railway for their patience and understanding whilst we carried out this vital upgrade to continue modernising the railway in the Windsor and Staines area.”

A spokesperson for South Western Railway commented: “We are grateful to our customers for their patience as our colleagues at Network Rail made these vital improvements to the railway, which will enhance the reliability of services for many years to come.”