Hook landslip: Passengers face further disruptions

Train passengers are set to face further disruption as work to repair a landslip continues.

There will be no trains between Farnborough and Basingstoke after 22:00 GMT until 23 February, South Western Railway has confirmed.

The last through trains between London Waterloo and Weymouth, Portsmouth, Salisbury and Basingstoke will instead be earlier than usual.

The changes are to allow repair work following a landslip at Hook.

A 144ft (44m) stretch of railway embankment collapsed after heavy rain on 15 January, reducing capacity on the railway line between London Waterloo and the south of England.

South Western Railway said repair work was expected to be completed by 24 February.

But it urged customers to travel earlier if possible and check the latest train times before travelling.

The company said that between 13 and 23 February the last through services will be between 20:00 and 21:30 GMT.

"Only a very limited" rail replacement bus service will run between Farnborough and Basingstoke and "a small number of other service alterations" will be made over this period, the firm warned.

Mark Killick, Network Rail's Wessex route director, said fixing the landslip was "an incredibly tough and complicated job" but the approach taken was "the least disruptive overall".

"I'm so sorry our customers will have to endure more disruption before we can reopen all four lines," he added.

South Western Railway is expected to reinstate its regular timetable on 24 February.

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