This Easter holiday, we’ll carry out major engineering works across the railway between Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.
Strengthening the railway against landslips
Engineers will stabilise 300 metres of railway cutting between Swanwick and Fareham between 12 April and 20 April.
We’ve been actively monitoring the area for landslips using a combination of sensors at the site and cameras. The wireless sensors are drilled into the ground to detect movements in the soil and rock and sends out an alert if there’s more than a five-degree tilt. The cameras then help us see the ground in greater detail if the sensors are triggered.
We’re about to install a sheet piled wall to further strengthen the cutting. The wall will be made up of seven-metre-long sheets that interlock with each other in one long stretch. It will stand two metres above the railway and five metres deep in the cutting. It will help strengthen the ground by holding back any loose or soft soil that would otherwise collapse towards the track.
Our teams will also install rocks ribs on the cutting. This involves digging narrow trenches vertically into the cutting slope and filling them with stone. The rocks ribs will help make the ground stable and improve drainage, further lowering the risk of a landslip.
We’ll need to close the line between Southampton and Portsmouth during this time so our engineers can to carry out the work safely.
Maintenance work
We’ll make the most of this nine-day closure to carry out other vital maintenance works that’ll help keep your journeys running reliably.
Teams will strengthen the footbridge at Hamble station in Eastleigh. We’ll also maintain vegetation between Fareham and Swanwick, including removing trees that may pose a danger to the track. This will help lower the risk of trees or leaves falling on the railway, meaning less disruption to your services.
Engineers will also replace 10 wheel timbers – the blocks that carry track over a bridge – on the viaduct over the River Itchen between Bitterne and St Deny’s in Southampton. The new wheel timbers will be made from more durable plastic material and will last 30 years longer than wooden versions.
Check before you travel
Amended services will run along several points of the railway in the south coast of England while we carry out this essential work.
Mark Goodall, route director for Wessex region at Network Rail, said: “We understand that shutting down such a large stretch of railway along the south coast will cause disruptions, and we sincerely apologise to passengers for any inconvenience.
“Traditionally, the school holidays see fewer people using the railway so it is better for the passenger and taxpayer to close the line to make these improvements over the course of nine days, rather than have several weekend closures. During this time, we encourage passengers to plan ahead and check before you travel.”
We encourage you to plan ahead and check with nationalrail.co.uk for more information.
You can also find out more about the work by visiting networkrail.co.uk/Southampton2025.
Thank you for bearing with us during this work and please check before you travel.
