Network Rail completes festive railway upgrades

Wednesday, 8 January 2025 05:55

Network Rail is thanking passengers following the completion of its festive railway upgrades across its Wessex route.

Over the festive period, Network Rail’s teams of engineers missed the festivities and worked tirelessly to complete a wide range of critical railway upgrades across Network Rail’s Wessex route, which serves the towns and communities in part or all of the counties of Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “I’d firstly like to thank any passengers and local residents who may have been disturbed by our engineering work over the festive period for their patience and understanding.

“The work our teams have completed over the past couple of weeks is critical for the continued safe and reliable running of the railway and I’d like to pay tribute to the many men and women who have worked so tirelessly and forgone spending festive time with family and friends to complete this work.

“We’re committed to running a high performing, reliable and punctual railway and I’m delighted to welcome passengers back to an improved railway in 2025.”

A South Western Railway spokesperson added: “The Christmas and New Year period saw a huge amount of engineering work carried out across our network, such as on the busy South West Main Line through Brookwood and on the Lymington branch line that is so important to its local communities.

“We’re very grateful to our customers for their patience, particularly those whose journeys were longer or involved rail replacement bus services. The maintenance and improvements that our colleagues at Network Rail have completed will ensure that our services can run safely and reliably for many years to come.”