Landslip may cause rail disruption

Sunday, 15 January 2023 00:00

A major landslip on the railway between Basingstoke and Woking may cause disruption for passengers travelling from Salisbury towards London for the next few days.

Due to a major landslip, South Western Railway (SWR) will not be able to serve Hook, Winchfield or Fleet stations until further notice. Please do not attempt to travel to or from these stations by train, as you will not be able to do so.

Passengers are also advised against all but essential travel over the coming days on services which would usually pass through the area on the South West Main Line. This includes services between London and Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Southampton, Weymouth, Salisbury, and Exeter.

Landslip near Hook(Image: Network Rail)

In a statement Network Rail said:

"A large landslip in Hampshire has left one of the tracks of the main line from London to Basingstoke hanging in mid-air, one other track damaged, and huge disruption expected for customers.

"The slip, on an embankment to the northeast of Hook station, has left only two tracks of the four-track railway passable by trains, with both tracks designed to be used by London-bound trains only.

"South Western Railway customers are advised to check before they travel until advised otherwise, as there will be major changes to train services for some time.

"The clear guidance for tomorrow (Monday 16th January 2023) is to not travel from south or west of Basingstoke towards London, or from London towards the south or west of Basingstoke."

Image: Network Rail

Network Rail Wessex route director Mark Killick said: “This is a huge landslip and will have a massive effect on customers. The main line to Basingstoke is the spine of our railway and there will be knock-on impacts across the route.

“I can only apologise for the scale of the disruption and please ask that customers check before they travel this week, not just on the affected section, but all the way up the line to London Waterloo, where many of the trains that would use this section of railway start and finish their journeys.

“We’re still assessing the damage and it’s difficult to put a detailed timescale in place, but we know it’s going to be at least a week.

“We will need to stabilise the embankment, essentially stopping it moving, and then rebuild the railway where it has slid away. We’ll keep everyone informed of our progress and I can only say thank you to everyone for their patience and apologise again for the disruption. Please look out for further updates from South Western Railway on the revised timetable, once this has been able to be confirmed.”

https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/80wuw3iweq Video: Network Rail