Portsmouth Direct Upgrade
Elevating your commute
The Portsmouth Direct Line is one of the main rail corridors into London Waterloo, linking communities across Surrey and Hampshire with the south coast and the Isle of Wight. Thousands of people rely on the route every day for work, education and leisure, and keeping it performing reliably requires long-term investment.
The Portsmouth Direct Upgrade is a multi-year programme to modernise the railway along this route. Rather than a single project, it is being delivered in phases, renewing key infrastructure and replacing ageing signalling equipment so the railway can operate more reliably for the long term.
Investing in the route
Network Rail is delivering significant investment across the Portsmouth Direct Line to replace life-expired equipment and improve performance.
In 2025 we completed the £129 million Farncombe to Petersfield signalling upgrade, modernising how trains are controlled across a large section of the route. The work replaced older signalling equipment and transferred control to Network Rail’s Rail Operating Centre in Basingstoke, improving the resilience of the railway and forming the first major stage of long-term upgrades to the line.
We are now progressing the next phase, a £120 million re-signalling programme in the Havant area, which will continue the modernisation of the railway and build on the benefits already delivered.
Together these phases represent a significant long-term investment in the Portsmouth Direct Line.
Why the work is phased
Because the railway is a complex, interconnected system, upgrades are delivered in planned stages rather than all at once. Some work must take place when trains are not running, so closures are grouped into specific periods across several years to allow major improvements to be completed safely and help reduce the risk of unplanned disruption in the future.
What this means for passengers
The programme focuses on replacing older infrastructure and improving how the railway is controlled. Over time this will:
- improve reliability across the route
- reduce signalling-related delays
- make journeys more reliable and improve train performance
- support future passenger demand
Details of when individual works affect journeys are provided on the specific project pages below.
Programme phases
Havant re-signalling programme (current phase)
The next stage of the Portsmouth Direct Upgrade focuses on renewing and recontrolling signalling in the Havant area, continuing the modernisation of how the railway is managed on this route. Delivered through a series of planned blockades between 2026 and 2028, this phase builds on the Farncombe to Petersfield upgrade and replaces life-expired equipment to strengthen performance on one of the key approaches into Portsmouth.
Farncombe to Petersfield re-signalling (completed phase)
Completed in 2025, the Farncombe to Petersfield signalling upgrade modernised train control across a substantial section of the Portsmouth Direct Line and transferred operations to the Wessex Rail Operating Centre in Basingstoke. As the first major stage of the Portsmouth Direct Upgrade, it strengthened the route’s signalling capability and laid the foundation for the Havant phase now underway.
Other improvements on the route
Alongside the main phases of the Portsmouth Direct Upgrade, additional renewal and maintenance projects have been delivered across the line to maintain safe and reliable operation.
Getting in touch
If you have questions or feedback about the upgrade, please visit our Contact us page or call our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.