New Forest and Christchurch railway stations to close on Tuesday, 30th January as South Western Railway confirms Aslef union strike

RAILWAY stations in the New Forest and Christchurch will close on Tuesday because of strike action.

South Western Railway (SWR) said it will be running a “severely reduced” service on a limited number of lines from London Waterloo, none of which come further south than Basingstoke.

Customers are advised to avoid travelling by rail if possible, with services across the network subject to short-notice alterations and, possibly cancellations.

SWR’s chief operating officer Stuart Meek said: “We’re very sorry to announce that industrial action, including full strike action, will affect our network at the end of January and into early February.

“It has been a tough start to the year due to adverse weather conditions, and these damaging strikes will cause yet more disruption for our customers.

“Our advice is to only travel if absolutely necessary on Tuesday 30th January and to check before travelling on all other affected dates. It is also vital that customers check their entire journey on all the affected dates, as other operators will be affected.

“Once again we’re very sorry for the disruption this will cause and we thank our customers for their continued patience.”

Those who must travel by train on Tuesday are advised to avoid the first and last trains of the day at 7am and 7pm as they are expected to be very busy.

SWR said its journey planners are now up to date through to Thursday, 1st February, with subsequent dates to be updated in the coming days.

An overtime ban for Monday, 29th January, and from Wednesday, 31st January to Tuesday, 6th February means short-notice cancellations and alterations on those days are likely.

For more information visit southwesternrailway.com/strike