SOUTH Western Rail is warning customers of closures during the May bank holiday while work is carried out.

From Saturday, May 4 to Monday, May 6, Network Rail’s engineers will be removing life-expired track and installing half a mile of new track at Wallers Ash between Winchester and Micheldever.

Maintenance teams will take advantage of this closure to do some spring cleaning, clearing out the gutters and canopies at Winchester and Eastleigh stations and clearing overgrown vegetation near Chandler’s Ford.

Throughout this three-day closure, buses will replace South Western Railway (SWR) services from Basingstoke to Eastleigh, extending from Eastleigh to Fareham, Southampton Central and Romsey on Sunday only.

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Engineers will also be working at Aldershot Junction, renewing the 170m of switches and crossings – the equipment which allow trains to change from one track to another and installing 1.8km of new track.

The work taking place across the network means that some trains will be replaced by buses, and journeys may take longer.

During the weekend closure, South Western Railway (SWR) will be running rail replacement bus services on the following routes:

Saturday 4 May to Monday 6 May:

  • Eastleigh to Basingstoke

Saturday 4 to Sunday 5 May:

  • Reading to Guildford

Sunday 5 May only:

  • Guildford to Aldershot
  • Bracknell to Reading
  • Eastleigh to Romsey
  • Eastleigh to Fareham
  • Eastleigh to Southampton Central

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Martin Shirley, Network Rail project manager, said: “Thanks to our passengers for their patience whilst we carry out essential engineering work over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. We try to carry out our works during the least disruptive times, and bank holidays is when fewer passengers travel.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes, most of our route will remain open as usual, but some services will be affected so we’re asking passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel.”

A spokesperson for South Western Railway, added: “Ahead of the early May Bank Holiday we’re asking our customers to check before they travel. Buses will replace trains in the Aldershot, Reading, Salisbury and Winchester areas, and so some journeys will take longer than usual. We’re very grateful for our customers’ patience while our colleagues at Network Rail carry out these vital improvements.”

More information about the closures can be found on the South Western Rail website.