Travel · Rail, Channel & ferries · 5 November 2026
Track and signalling work completed in Havant and Liphook areas
Network Rail has confirmed that track and signalling improvements are finished in the Havant area and between Liphook and Petersfield. The works, which took place between 24 October and 1 November, involved installing new axle counters and renewing rails. Buses replaced Southern and SWR services during the period.
Network Rail has announced the completion of track and signalling improvements in the Havant area and on the line between Liphook and Petersfield. The improvement work took place between Saturday 24 October and Sunday 1 November, affecting train services through Havant. During this period, buses replaced both South Western Railway and Southern services in the affected areas.
61 new axle counters were installed as part of the Havant resignalling programme. New rails were also installed between Liphook and Petersfield, alongside upgrades to signalling and cabling systems. The Farncombe to Petersfield signalling upgrade was completed in 2025. These projects form part of a £250 million investment to replace ageing track and signalling.
In the Fishbourne area, 183 metres of track were renewed to provide smoother journeys on Southern’s West Coastway route. George Murrell, Renewals Director for South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said: "Reliable trains need reliable tracks and signals, which is why we invested in renewing and upgrading signalling systems on this key route."
Jenny Saunders, Customer Service Director for Southern, noted that vital resignalling work designed to give passengers better, more reliable services meant anyone travelling west of Chichester during the October half term had to use a rail replacement bus.
Written by StreetOwl from Network Rail’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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