Portsmouth Direct Upgrade

We’ve upgraded signalling and track on the Portsmouth Direct line to improve reliability and safety of services between London and Portsmouth

The £129 million Portsmouth Direct Upgrade has now been completed, marking the end of a multi-year programme to modernise signalling and track between London and Portsmouth.

The final commissioning, covering the Farncombe to Petersfield section, took place in November 2025 following a nine-day closure between Guildford and Havant.

During that closure, engineers brought 90 new signals and 17 new signalling equipment buildings into use and completed upgrades at nine level crossings and two footpath crossings. Control for this part of the route has now transferred from several ageing signal boxes to the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre, improving reliability and resilience for passengers.

Together, these improvements deliver a once-in-a-generation modernisation of the line between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour.

What work has taken place and why?

The Portsmouth Direct Upgrade delivered a comprehensive modernisation of the line between Farncombe and Petersfield, including:

  • Replacement of older signalling with a modern system controlled from the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre
  • Installation of 90 new signals and 17 new signalling equipment buildings
  • Upgrades to nine level crossings with obstacle-detection (OD) and CCTV technology, improving safety and giving signallers clearer visibility of the line
  • Improvements to two footpath crossings for safer local access

These changes are designed to make journeys more reliable, reduce the risk of incidents at level crossings, and minimise the need for future large-scale closures for maintenance.

Why barrier down time is changing

Modern full-barrier level crossings with obstacle detection are designed to keep people and vehicles fully separated from trains. The way they work is different to older automatic half-barriers.

When a train approaches, the signaller confirms the crossing is clear, an audible alarm sounds, and the barriers lower after a short delay. While the barriers are down, obstacle-detection sensors continue scanning until the train has safely passed.

This safer mode of operation means barriers will be down for longer on average at some locations.

Location-by-location detail

We’ve modelled the average change in barrier down time at each upgraded crossing. Times are indicative and may vary with service patterns and time of day.

  • Farncombe West (GU7 3AD): no change (current avg ~3m 04s)
  • Farncombe East (GU7 3NQ): no change (current avg ~3m 06s)
  • Milford (GU8 5AD): increase of ~1m 48s (current avg ~1m 12s)
  • Liss Common (GU33 7BE): increase of ~2m 02s (current avg ~48s)
  • Liss (GU33 7AA): no change (current avg ~3m 53s)
  • Princes Bridge (GU33 7LU): increase of ~1m 38s (current avg ~1m 16s)
  • Sheet (GU32 2AT): increase of ~2m 23s (current avg ~44s)
  • Kings Fernsden (GU32 2HZ): increase of ~2m 24s (current avg ~42s)
  • Petersfield (GU32 3EE): small increase of ~6s (current avg ~3m 18s)

Future of signal boxes

With the new signalling system now in use, control of the route between Farncombe and Petersfield has transferred to the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre. The signal boxes along the route have since been repurposed or removed as follows:

  • Petersfield signal box has been retained for railway use
  • Haslemere signal box is being transferred to community use
  • Farncombe signal box was demolished during commissioning to make space for new crossing equipment

To preserve local heritage, the Farncombe nameplate and signalling diagram have been relocated to Farncombe station. The decision to remove the building was not taken lightly; the site was the only feasible location for the new equipment, offered the safest sighting of trains, reduced the risk of sun-glare for signallers and allowed lighting to be installed with minimal impact on neighbours.

Staying informed and getting in touch

Although this phase of work is complete, our teams will continue to monitor how the new signalling and level crossings perform to help keep the railway safe and reliable.

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.