A 5-day line closure has been in place between Guildford and Petersfield from the 24th to the 28th of July, which has allowed Network Rail engineers to complete an impressive 15 engineering projects!

The period of planned work has seen teams of engineers work around the clock across multiple sites in order to get the railway back open for passengers in the most efficient approach possible, avoiding many months of weekend and night closures.

Ongoing work between Farncombe and Petersfield also continued during the period of work to replace the 1970s signals with brand-new digital signalling technology, which will go live in 2024. The work also saw new power cables put in place alongside structures which house the new tech.

The 5-day closure also allowed further projects to be carried out which support reliability and safety on the railway including the stabilisation of cuttings at Haslemere and Wormley which saw on-track machines which were used to drill 138 8-metre long steel nails into the slope in order to strengthen and reinforce the soil which will reduce the chance of landslips. Haslemere also saw engineers carry out the renewal of switches, whilst Liss station saw track refurbished.

Further work during the closure also included:

• Upgrade of Sheet level crossing, including decommissioning of the old barriers and installing new ones
• Installation of new piles for new signals to be built on
• Installation of anti-trespass fencing at Farncombe East
• Renewal of 106 sleepers covering 400 metres of track and the replacement of ballast at Princes Bridge by Liss station
• Haslemere station saw its canopies and footbridge painted
• Vegetation management also took place along the line to prevent obstructions on the railway
• Routine track maintenance and rail testing
• Monitoring and inspections of key railway infrastructure which will support the planning of future works

Tom McNamee, Network Rail’s Wessex infrastructure director, said:

“I’m delighted that we’ve successfully completed another phase of work that is part of the Portsmouth Direct Upgrade programme. Our teams have completed an amazing amount of engineering work during a 5-day period, which will improve reliability on the railway for thousands of customers.”

“I’d like to thank customers for their continued patience while we carry out these upgrades and modernise the signalling system. Once complete, the upgrade will provide a long-term benefit and hopefully will mean less disruption to journeys in the future.”

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

“I’d like to thank our customers for their patience while Network Rail carried out this important work, which will soon deliver an improved and more reliable railway on the busy route between Woking and Portsmouth Harbour.”

The line will see a closure again between Guildford and Petersfield from the 21st to the 29th of October, with an extension to Havant on the 29th of October only. This closure will allow Network Rail to continue to modernise the railway for customers.