Rail passengers warned of Easter travel disruption

Rail passengers have been warned to plan ahead as engineering works close the line between Winchester and St Denys over Easter.

The four-day shutdown will see work to the track and switches and crossings carried out on the line in the Eastleigh area.

It means from Friday 3 until Monday 6 April buses will replace trains between Winchester and Southampton Central. Train services will still run between Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour.

Network Rail said because the line is under heavy use with 3,500 trains running through the area every week it needed to be inspected, track lifted and ballast added to prevent issues on the "vital corridor for passengers and freight".

• Train services between London Waterloo and Weymouth will divert via Guildford and Havant.
• Between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh trains will end at Winchester,
• Trains connecting Salisbury and Southampton will not serve stations via Eastleigh.
• An hourly bus will run between Winchester and Southampton Central, stopping at Southampton Airport Parkway.
• An hourly stopping bus service will run between Winchester and Southampton Central, stopping at Shawford, Eastleigh and Southampton Airport Parkway.
• One bus per hour will run between Romsey and Southampton Central, stopping at Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway, Swaythling and St Denys.
• An hourly bus will also run between Winchester and Fareham, calling at Shawford, Eastleigh, Hedge End and Botley.

George Murrell, route renewals director, said: "These improvements will provide better journeys for customers and a more reliable railway for freight, heading to one of the country's busiest and most important freight terminals in Southampton."