Train from Windsor and Eton Riverside to Staines canceled for a week
Network Rail will close the rail line between Windsor and Eton Riverside and Staines for a week in February.
From Monday the 21st to Sunday, 27 engineers will upgrade 1970s signaling infrastructure and perform track and bridge maintenance.
The new “blockade” approach to upgrading replaces back-to-back weekend shutdowns.
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Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Manager, said: “We are truly grateful for the patience of our customers as we pursue these vital improvements.
“Our new signaling system will replace the 1970s technology still used today and make the line much more reliable.
“By doing the work in large chunks called ‘blockades’, we can avoid a long series of weekend or holiday closures over several years. This means that we can deliver benefits to passengers much faster, and it’s also more efficient.
Buses will replace SWR services between Windsor and Eton Riverside and Staines throughout the shutdown, then also between Hounslow and Windsor and Eton Riverside on Sunday 27.
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The work is part of a £380million Feltham-Wokingham re-signalling scheme, which is replacing 50-year-old signaling on SWR lines in south-west London, Surrey and Berkshire.
Christian Neill, Director of Customer Experience at SWR, said: “There is never a good time to close the railway and of course such a long closure will inconvenience our customers.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible to complete the amount of work planned with trains still running, but I want to reassure customers that this work will ensure the long-term reliability of our services as well as an opportunity to remove rubbish and graffiti from the line.
“I understand that this is difficult for people who depend on the railway and we are very grateful for their patience while this work is taking place. I would like to advise anyone planning to travel to check if their journey will be affected as buses will replace trains and some journeys will take longer than usual.