Planned train travel disruption to Portsmouth as work begins to upgrade lines
The £120 million investment is planned to help upgrade signalling and tracks
Train travel's planned to be affected over the next few days as work begins to upgrade the Portsmouth Direct Line.
The £120 million investment is planned to help upgrade signalling and tracks and will affect lines between Havant, Fareham, and Portsmouth Harbour from tomorrow (Saturday 28th March) until next Thursday.
Once the full programme is completed in 2028, signalling will transfer from the Havant Area Signalling Centre and will be controlled from the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre - which is hoped to improve communications.
Tom McNamee, Infrastructure Director, speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, said: “Following the successful completion of the first phase of upgrades last year, we are now starting the next stage of modernising signalling on the Portsmouth Direct Line.
“Some of the signalling equipment in the Havant area is ageing and is increasingly prone to faults.
"Replacing it with modern technology will improve reliability and help reduce delays for passengers travelling to and from the south coast.
“Some of this work can only take place when trains are not running, so access is carefully planned to complete as much of the improvements as possible while minimising disruption.”
The work follows the successful completion of the first phase in 2025, which invested £129 million to upgrade signalling between Farncombe and Petersfield to improve reliability and safety of services between London and Portsmouth.
What work is taking place during the closure?
During the six-day line closure engineers will carry out a range of improvements including:
- Repairs to cable troughing between Farlington and Cosham to better protect signalling equipment.
- Structural repairs to Portcreek Viaduct, which connects the mainland with Portsmouth on the Isle of Portsea.
- Renewing 48 wheel timbers, the long blocks which support the tracks, through Platform 2 at Portsmouth & Southsea station.
- Replacing a further 14 wheel timbers outside Portsmouth Harbour station.
- Tamping work, using a machine which lifts and moves the track, to improve the alignment through the Portsmouth area.
In total, engineers will carry out around 1,378 hours of work during the line closure.
What will happen to my train?
During the works, train services will change as follows:
South Western Railway trains to and from Portsmouth Harbour will start or end at Havant or Fareham.
Southern trains to and from Portsmouth Harbour will start or end at Havant.
Services to Portsmouth & Southsea will go to Bognor Regis instead.
Southern trains between Brighton and Southampton will run as normal.
Great Western Railway trains to and from Portsmouth Harbour will start or end at Fareham.
Replacement buses will run as follows:
- Five buses per hour between Havant and Portsmouth Harbour, calling at Bedhampton, Hilsea, Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea.
- Two buses per hour between Fareham and Portsmouth Harbour, calling at Portchester, Cosham, Hilsea, Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea