Portsmouth and Portcreek area improvement work
Our engineers will be working during this February Half Term to improve journeys in the Portsmouth area.
What work is taking place?
From Saturday 15 to Friday 21 February 2025, parts of the railway between Portsmouth and Havant and Fareham will be closed and rail replacement buses will be in operation. During the 7-day closure, our teams will be working round the clock to upgrade the railway in the Portsmouth area. This work will include track works, wheel timber renewals and resignalling work.
When is the work taking place?
The work is taking place from Saturday 15 to Friday 21 February 2025, which means parts of the railway between Portsmouth Havant and Fareham will be closed and rail replacement buses will be in operation. During the closure we’ll be carrying out the following:
- At Portcreek Junction, engineers will lay 390m of new track and 450m of conductor rail (the part of the track that provides power to the trains), and replace two sets of points – moveable sections of track that allow trains to move from one line to another.
- At Bedhampton, new track will be laid and ballast installed at the level crossing, which will also be given a fresh lick of paint.
- Between Quay Viaduct, Fareham and Portchester sub-station, a number of dead, diseased and dangerous trees will be removed to reduce leaf fall onto the railway and help keep trains running safely and on time.
- Fratton footbridge will be also refurbished to bring it up to modern loading standards, with scaffolding erected to allow engineers to work on the exterior elevations of the structure including painting the underside of the bridge.
How will this work affect me?
During the closure, buses will replace trains in the following ways:
Saturday 15 – Tuesday 18 February
- A rail replacement bus service will run between Havant and Fareham and Havant and Portsmouth Harbour.
- Southern passengers can use South Western Railway trains between Fareham and Southampton Central.
- When these are not running in the early morning and late evening, Southern will run rail replacement buses between Havant and Southampton Central.
Saturday 15 – Friday 21 February
- A rail replacement bus service will run between Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour.
Please visit South Western Railway, Great Western Railways or Southern for more information about rail replacement services.
During the closure trains will continue to operate between Southampton Central and Eastleigh, and from Havant to Brighton. You are advised to check before you travel to minimise disruption to your journey.
Whilst every effort will be made to contain the noisier activities to the daytime, the constraints of our schedules may mean that some noise at night is unavoidable. We apologise if our work causes you any disruption.
Why is the work needed?
This work will improve journeys for passengers. By replacing key sections of track we can avoid temporary speed restrictions and keep services on time. Our work will boost the railways reliability and performance and reduce delays caused by infrastructure failings.
Get in touch
For more information or to get in touch with us, please visit our contact us page, follow us on X (formally known as Twitter) or by calling our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.