Checkatrade Trophy final: South Western Railway to make extra train provisions on Sunday as Portsmouth take on Sunderland at Wembley Stadium

South Western Railway has warned passengers its trains from Portsmouth to London Waterloo 'may be busier than usual' when Portsmouth FC play in the Checkatrade Trophy final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Picture: Victoria Jones/ PA Wire

RAIL operator South Western Railway has confirmed it will boost its service on Sunday as Portsmouth take on Sunderland in the Checkatrade Trophy final.

More than 40,000 Pompey fans have bought tickets for the fixture, which kicks off at Wembley Stadium at 2.30pm – prompting a warning from the firm yesterday.

The day of the match coincides with engineering works on the railway line linking Portsmouth stations with London – meaning services will be impacted.

However a spokesman for South Western Railway said the firm will put on one more train per hour than usual, taking the total up to three instead of two.

Each train will be of the ‘maximum length’ – which can be 10 or 12 carriages, depending on the type of train used.

Checkatrade Trophy final: Here are the Portsmouth to London trains you can catch...

A South Western Railway spokesman said: ‘Unfortunately due to planned Network Rail engineering works, our train service has been impacted.

‘We have been working hard to see how we can ensure our service level is as robust as possible considering the numbers of supporters intending to travel on the day.

‘We will be running three trains per hour from the Portsmouth area towards London on Sunday and will ensure they are formed of the maximum formation of carriages possible.

‘We would advise all customers travelling from the Portsmouth area on Sunday to check before they travel and allow extra time as there may be queuing systems in place at stations.’

South Western Railway said a request to postpone the Network Rail works was denied.

Southern Rail will put on trains to Clapham Junction and London Victoria.

It is understood Portsmouth FC has also put on 100 coaches for Sunday’s match.