WATCH: Major work under way at Fareham railway station

But Network Rail says the short-term pain will result in a long-term gain for passengers.

The company has posted a video on YouTube to show its major track renewal project at Fareham.

The multimillion pound upgrade began on Saturday, leading to the closure of the station as throughout this week Network Rail’s engineers replace nine sets of points, the crossings which allow trains to move between lines, as well as 240 metres of track.

Network Rail and Hampshire County Council are also jointly invest £1 million in upgrading Fareham station during the week, with the work to be delivered by South West Trains including a resurfaced forecourt, improved station access, a new accessible toilet on the island platform, and upgrades to the existing island platform toilets.

Colum Cavanagh, director of route asset management at Network Rail said, ‘The work at Fareham is delivering another slice of our Railway Upgrade Plan, providing a better railway for the growing numbers of passengers in Hampshire. The points we’re renewing are very heavily used and are at the end of their design life, so by replacing them we’ll be ensuring the long-term reliability and resilience of the railway for passengers.

‘Due to the scale of the work we have had to close the railway for a week, so this is a case of some short-term disruption which will result in longer-term benefits and I’d like to remind passengers to check before they travel. The new track at Fareham will last for decades, and the upgrades to the station itself will make it a more inviting place to be.

‘I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these upgrades.’

The line through Fareham is closed until 31 October. Buses are replacing trains and passengers are advised to check before they travel.