Barnes to Feltham via Hounslow Upgrades
We’re making upgrades to the railway between Barnes Bridge and Feltham, creating more reliable journeys for passengers.
What work is taking place?
Barnes Bridge
From 28 July to 2 August 2024, we worked on Barnes Bridge. We renewed and strengthened the pins that join the steelwork together. This allowed us to lift a speed restriction from the bridge. This meant that trains could run faster over the bridge, improving the reliability of journeys. We also renewed the wheel timbers beneath the track running towards London.
Check out the video below for a summary of the work we did:
This year, we’re returning to complete phase 2 of the work. We will be removing the middle girder on each span of the bridge and replacing them with brand new girders. The middle girders do most of the heavy lifting when supporting the tracks and trains above, acting as the backbone of each span.
We will also be replacing wheel timbers under the track for services heading away from London.
Chiswick Footbridge
Our engineers will be refurbishing and strengthening the passenger footbridge at Chiswick station. This includes installation of new steel work, removal of the temporary scaffold support, water-jetting and re-painting.
When is the work taking place?
Our teams will begin work on Barnes Bridge in mid-July. They’ll erect scaffolding in preparation for the installation of the new girders. Work in Chiswick will begin at the same time.
The main construction work on both bridges will take place during an 8-day closure of the line between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow, from 23 to 31 August 2025.
Following the line closure, we will carry out any remaining work, with the aim of completing both sets of work in mid-September.
More accurate dates and times will be provided closer to works commencing.
How will this work affect me?
Due to the nature of our work, some noise and light disturbance is expected. We will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum. We will be sending letters to the communities affected by our work nearer the start date so they are aware of what we are doing.
During the line closure, buses will replace some South Western Railway services between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow. Buses will operate as per the below:
- Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 August 2025 – Buses will replace trains between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow
- Monday 25 to Friday 29 August 2025 – Buses replace trains between Barnes and Kew Bridge only. Trains will run to and from Kew Bridge to Feltham.
- Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August 2025 – Buses will replace trains between Barnes and Feltham via Hounslow
Why is the work needed?
We are replacing the girders under the spans of Barnes Bridge as new girders will ensure the bridge can continue to carry trains over the Thames well into the future.
We are renewing the wheel timbers under the track away from London because many of the current wheel timbers are old and no longer fit for purpose. By renewing the wheel timbers with lighter, more weather resistant blocks, we are creating a better more sustainable railway, as the new blocks last 30 years longer than the current blocks. The better durability means we expend less CO2 maintaining them throughout their 50 year lives.
In Chiswick, the substantial work we are carrying out on the footbridge will mean that we won’t need to continue to keep coming back to the bridge to carry out minor maintenance work, reducing disruption to passengers and improving their experience at the station.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please call our dedicated 24-hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or visit our contact us page.