SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) is advising passengers to only travel between Woking and Basingstoke if absolutely necessary until the end of this Sunday, following problems caused by a major landslip along the line.

The landslip has left a 44-metre stretch of track suspended in mid-air, resulting in a severely restricted service between Basingstoke and Woking.

While the permanent restoration of the embankment is likely to take a number of weeks, Network Rail will undertake track and signalling changes this weekend to provide a short-term solution that will increase the capacity of the line.

SWR has set out its service plan for the rest of this week and weekend. The works on Saturday and Sunday will mean no trains will be able to operate between Woking and Basingstoke all weekend. SWR is seeking to secure Rail Replacement Buses between Basingstoke and Woking but is asking customers to only travel if absolutely necessary through the area this weekend, as bus capacity is likely to be limited.

In order to complete the work this weekend, Network Rail will postpone planned work on the line between Guildford and Portsmouth Harbour, instead redeploying the engineering teams to support the landslip recovery at Hook.

As a result, SWR will be running two trains per hour between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour (via Guildford) all weekend.

SWR say that while the changes this weekend will deliver a significant and very welcome increase in capacity from Monday, it will still need to run a reduced service until further notice.

Network Rail is planning to complete the works in time for Monday morning’s start up, but due to the complexity involved, customers are urged to check the latest information before setting off at www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-jouney. SWR says it will confirm the service pattern for the week commencing Monday 23 January as soon as possible.

“We are very sorry for the ongoing disruption due to the landslip at Hook on Saturday 14, which has meant a severely reduced service on one of the country’s busiest railway lines,” said Claire Mann, SWR managing director.

“We know how frustrating this week has been for our customers. Our colleagues at Network Rail are working around the clock.

“Until these initial works by Network Rail are completed, we must urge customers to only travel if absolutely necessary between Basingstoke and Woking. We would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding.”