Engineering to limit South Western Railway train services in New Forest and Christchurch

PASSENGERS have been urged to check before travelling by rail this weekend as engineering works limit services in the New Forest and Christchurch.

South Western Railway warned that trains between London Waterloo and Weymouth will start and terminate at Eastleigh tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday, with bus replacements instead.

Beaulieu Road station will be closed all weekend, and there will be a revised service between Brockenhurst, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth.

An SWR spokesperson said yesterday: "Customers are also advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys and, if possible, to travel earlier in the day.

"Customers are advised to check before travelling, with journey planners being updated on Friday 17th February."

Tomorrow a revised service will run between Brockenhurst, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth.

Buses will run between Eastleigh and Brockenhurst via Southampton Central, with fast buses between Southampton Central and Bournemouth.

On Sunday Brockenhurst to Lymington services will not run.

Buses will run between Eastleigh and New Milton via Southampton, Brockenhurst and Lymington.

Fast buses will go between Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway, Bournemouth and Poole; and Southampton Central, Christchurch and Bournemouth.

Buses will also serve Eastleigh, Bournemouth and Poole via Southampton Central.

There are extra complications further afield as engineers approach the last stage of repairs to the landslip on the mainline at Hook.

Stuart Meek, SWR’s chief operating officer, said: "We’re advising customers to check before travelling, allow extra time to complete their journeys, and to travel earlier if at all possible.

“There will again be an early shutdown from Monday 20th February to Thursday 23rd February next week before our normal timetable is reinstated on Friday 24th February.

"We will reinstate some services sooner if it is possible.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience during this disruption – which will be further complicated by important maintenance in the Southampton area at the weekend – but we are nearing the end of this challenging period."

Visit www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/planned-improvements/february-2023-works