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Wessex railway upgrade plan

We’re investing over £2bn to improve the railway infrastructure from across the South West and into London

Strengthening works at Sand Tunnel near Guildford
Strengthening the cutting near Sand Tunnel in Guildford in May 2020

The investment will help replace ageing equipment with newer, more reliable technology to improve train journeys and keep passengers moving for decades to come.

Key statistics

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£1.3bn on renewing tracks

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£598m on maintenance work

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£454m to upgrade signalling

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£80m on earthworks

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£2.3m to reduce trespass incidents

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£18m to allow longer freight trains with greater capacity to run to and from the Port of Southampton

Key projects

  • Feltham to Wokingham Resignalling Programme – Between 2021 and 2024 we’re installing new digital signalling technology to cover 80 miles of railway on key areas of the SWR network.
  • Portsmouth Direct Upgrade – From early 2022 and late 2024 we’re carrying out a large programme of work to upgrade signalling and track on the line from Woking to Portsmouth Harbour.
  • London Waterloo to Clapham Junction improvements – a large scale track, switches and crossings and signalling upgrade at the busy Nine Elms junction, between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.
London Waterloo approach track work
Upgrade work taking place on the approach to London Waterloo station

Keeping you moving

This record investment means that we’ll be doing more work to improve the railway across the South West and into London than ever before.  We’ll do most of the work when trains are not running, but will need to work at weekends, bank holidays and during school holiday times.

If you are planning to travel at the weekend or during a holiday period, don’t get caught out.  Always check before you travel at National Rail Enquiries or with your relevant train operator CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, Southern or South Western Railway.

Sign-up for email updates

Sign-up with your email address to receive updates on the Wessex railway upgrade and information on projects taking place across the Southern region.

Our privacy notice applies to the personal information that Network Rail collects about you, or that you provide to us. It explains how and why we use your personal information, who we disclose it to and how we protect your privacy.

   

Contact us

For more information or to get in touch with us, please contact us by visiting our contact us page or by calling our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

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