Rail route to close in half term for 'essential' works

A rail route linking Surrey and Berkshire will be shut for seven days for "essential track and bridge maintenance work" to be carried out.

Network Rail said no trains will run between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside between 26 October and 1 November, affecting South Western Railway (SWR) services.

During the closure, work will take place on the stretch of track and at two bridges, to improve the railway's "reliability and resilience", said the rail infrastructure manager.

No trains will stop at Wraysbury, Sunnymeads, Datchet and Windsor & Eton Riverside during the work, with a bus replacement service operating instead.

"Engineers will carry out essential track and bridge maintenance work between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside, as part of ongoing investment in railway infrastructure to improve reliability and resilience for customers across the network," said Network Rail.

They will replace wheel and long timbers, and wooden blocks that support passing trains, at a bridge between Staines and Wraysbury and one on the approach to Windsor & Eton Riverside station.

Switches and crossings near Staines station will also be renewed, "where there is an important entry point for trains to enter service", it added.

The work will also see buses replace trains between between Hounslow, Feltham and Virginia Water on 31 October and 1 November.

The upgrades are part of a £15m project to improve the busy stretch of railway between London Waterloo and Woking.

Services between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside join this corridor at Queenstown Road (Battersea).

Thomas Desmond, operations director for SWR and Network Rail Wessex, said: "These upgrades represent an important investment into the railway's future.

"We're thankful to our customers for their patience while we carry out these essential works over the October half term."

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