Two-week rail disruption at Exeter

South Western Railway (SWR) is advising passengers about significant service disruptions on the weekends of January 18–19 and January 25–26, 2025. Engineering work in the Wimbledon area will affect long-distance routes, including those running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids.

Passengers travelling from Exeter should plan ahead, as services will be revised, diverted, and in some cases, replaced by buses.

Network Rail engineers will be upgrading approximately 800 metres of track, ballast, and sleepers between Wimbledon and Earlsfield. The work will also include replacing critical points and installing 100 metres of conductor rail, which powers trains.

These upgrades aim to improve track reliability, reduce faults, and offer smoother journeys for passengers, including those travelling to and from Exeter.

Services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will be revised and diverted, taking longer than usual. Some journeys will start and finish at Basingstoke , which will affect passengers travelling to Exeter.

Services between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour (via Guildford) will be diverted, with some starting and ending at Woking. Additionally, services between London Waterloo and Weymouth will be revised and diverted.

For suburban routes, replacement buses will operate on routes serving Chessington South, Dorking, Hampton Court, and other destinations, as well as additional bus services operating in affected areas such as Ash, Aldershot, and Guildford, which may impact connections for passengers travelling to/from Exeter.

Peter Williams, Customer and Commercial Director at SWR, commented: "There will be a large number of service changes, with rail replacement buses operating on our suburban routes, and with long-distance services revised and diverted. Diverted services will take around 30 minutes longer than usual, so customers should allow extra time when travelling."

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, added: "We’ve worked hard to find the least disruptive window to deliver these essential engineering works. However, completing the upgrades back-to-back is the most efficient and cost-effective option for the taxpayer."

Passengers can plan their journeys using the SWR journey planner here.