RAIL passengers in Dorset should expect long distance journeys to London to be up to 40 minutes longer as works to replace tracks are set to cause major disruption over the next few days.

Passengers travelling on trains between London Waterloo and Dorset should check before they travel and plan ahead due to three days of improvement work at Weybridge in Surrey which starts today.

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The line will have to be closed in the Weybridge area for the work to take place so Waterloo-Weymouth trains are having to be diverted, adding an extra 40 minutes to journey times.

From today until Monday, August 9, engineers will be renewing sets of points and replacing track - work which will help to to improve reliability and increase train speeds in the area.

The project will allow engineers to remove a number of long-standing speed restrictions that cause long-distance services between London Waterloo, Exeter, Portsmouth and Weymouth, to travel at reduced speeds through the area. When the points are renewed and the track’s alignment is corrected, trains will be able to pass through the area at the full speed of 90mph, keeping them on time and improving performance.

Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “We really appreciate the patience of our passengers during this upgrade to a critical section of the route for both local and long distance services. The improvements will enable us to remove long-standing speed restrictions and deliver faster and more reliable journeys across a large section of the network.

“I know how inconvenient it is to close the line for three days including a Monday, but having looked at passenger numbers, delivering the work in this way will be less disruptive than spreading it over several separate weekends.

“We’re taking advantage of the closure to deliver as much work as we can and I would encourage passengers to check before travelling and to plan ahead as some journeys will take longer.”

Alan Penlington, SWR’s customer experience director, said: “The improvements to this important section of track near Weybridge will improve reliability and punctuality for years to come. Removing these speed restrictions will mean trains can run at line speed again which is great news for our customers. With the line closed for three days, one of which being a working Monday, I know there will be some inconvenience for anyone travelling whilst trains aren’t running and I’d like to thank all our customers for their patience whilst these much needed improvements take place.”