EMERGENCY work to repair a landslip will result in reduced train services for some journeys and bus replacements from Basingstoke this Sunday.

Customers are asked to check before they travel on Sunday, March 24 as train services through the Basingstoke area will be revised while engineers carry out repairs at a railway cutting near Farnborough, during which there will be a reduced train service in operation and some journey times may be extended.

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The work is needed because of a landslip caused by recent heavy rainfall, and although two of the four tracks through the area affected will need to be closed for the day, two tracks will remain open meaning that some trains can still pass through.

However, there will be some changes, which is why Network Rail and South Western Railway ask customers to plan ahead and allow extra time to complete their journeys. The work will be completed in time for the start of service on Monday, March 25.

Matt Pocock, Network Rail’s operations director for Wessex, said: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience to customers on Sunday, but we've had some very wet weather recently, and because of this we need to repair a small landslip on a railway cutting north of Farnborough, so that we can stabilise it and stop it from slipping further.

“We want to be able to lift the speed restriction currently on trains in this area, and so we’ll be undertaking the work from the early hours of Sunday until just before the first trains are due on Monday morning.

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“Because it’s a four-track railway we can keep the two slow lines open and still undertake the work safely, with trains still able to run on the fast line. This will still mean some changes to train services.”

A South Western Railway spokesperson said: “Customers should check before travelling this Sunday and allow extra time to complete their journeys.

“There will be major alterations for services between London Waterloo and Southampton Central, Portsmouth via Basingstoke, Exeter St Davids, and Salisbury. Rail replacement buses will serve stations between Basingstoke and Woking, and between Woking and Aldershot.

“We’re very sorry for this disruption and thank our customers for their patience.”

With some lines in the Farnborough area closed, South Western Railway services will be amended as follows:

• Buses will replace trains between Basingstoke and Woking

• Buses will run between Woking and Aldershot, calling at Brookwood and Ash Vale

• Services between Woking and Alton will run between Guildford and Alton only

• Services from London Waterloo to Southampton Central, Exeter St Davids and Portsmouth Harbour via Basingstoke will depart much earlier than usual, running non-stop between Woking and Basingstoke

• Stopping services between London Waterloo and Salisbury will only run between Basingstoke and Salisbury after 5pm

• Stopping services between London Waterloo and Southampton Central will only run between Basingstoke and Southampton Central after 3pm

 Customers should check before they travel at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey.