Train passengers travelling between London and Windsor are being warned of seven days of disruption over the October half-term, as major railway upgrades get under way.
Engineering works will take place between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside from Monday October 26 to Sunday November 1, with buses replacing trains on affected routes.
The work is part of infrastructure upgrades designed to improve reliability and reduce delays, and will hit routes through Staines, Windsor, Hounslow, Feltham and Virginia Water.
Thomas Desmond, operations director for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said: “These upgrades represent an important investment into the railway’s future, improving reliability, reducing the likelihood of disruption and ensuring that we continue to provide a safe and dependable service for our customers.”
“We’re thankful to our customers for their patience while we carry out these essential works over the October half-term. We recommend customers visit our website to check their journey before travelling.”
The work includes track and bridge maintenance as well as upgrades to switches and crossings near Staines station.
At a bridge between Staines and Wraysbury, engineers will replace 28 wheel timbers — the wooden supports that sit beneath the rails — to ensure trains can continue to run safely at full speed.
In Windsor, 30 long timbers will be replaced on the approach to Windsor & Eton Riverside station, which supports more than 70 train services every weekday.
The upgrades sit within a wider investment programme that includes £15 million of track and signalling improvements between London Waterloo and Woking — the corridor that carries the Windsor route, which joins the main line at Queenstown Road in Battersea.
From Monday to Friday, replacement buses will run between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside, calling at Wraysbury, Sunnymeads and Datchet.
Over the weekend, additional bus services will run between Hounslow, Feltham and Virginia Water. On Saturday October 31, services between London Waterloo and Reading will be diverted, while trains to Weybridge will terminate at Hounslow.
Passengers are being urged to check their journeys before travelling and to allow extra time, with bus journeys inevitably taking longer than the trains they replace.
The half-term works come amid a busy period for rail disruption around the capital — Southeastern services through Bromley are also facing changes, while Elizabeth line and Southeastern passengers dealt with disruption earlier this week.
Anyone planning to travel between London and Windsor between October 26 and November 1 should check live departure boards before setting off.
