Services have now resumed between London, Surrey, Hampshire, and Dorset without speed restrictions following successful upgrade works at Weybridge by Network Rail.
Working continuously over a three-day period in early August 2021, engineers and contractors were able to replace complex track, conductor rail and sets of points on the route in Weybridge, Surrey.
Alongside this, they also completed improvements to the station roof to improve passenger experience.
Services on the ‘fast’ lines through Weybridge had been restricted to 50mph. Now the works have been completed, services can operate at the full 90mph speed limit once again, meaning fewer delays and a more reliable service to and from London Waterloo.
Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex Route Director, said: “We really appreciate customers’ patience as we know this added considerably to journey times for them over the weekend and on Monday.
“We didn’t take the decision to do the work on Monday lightly, but the alternative would have been even more disruptive and involved closing the railway for several more weekends. This upgrade will allow us to deliver a faster and more reliable train service for decades to come.”
Alan Penlington, SWR’s Customer Experience Director, added: “The work Network Rail completed during this three-day closure means that trains can travel through this section of our network more quickly and our customers will benefit from a more punctual and reliable service.
“Closing the railway on a weekday inevitably causes disruption and I’d like to thank our customers for their patience whilst these essential works were carried out.”
