Passengers
are
being
advised


to
avoid
travelling
between
Southampton
and
Basingstoke
today,
after
a
landslip
blocked
the
track
at
Wallers
Ash,
between
Winchester
and
Micheldever.

The
lines
are
blocked
by
soil
and
other
debris,
but
are
not
reported
to
be
damaged
significantly.
Network
Rail
may
be
able
to
reopen
the
line
later
today
if
the
clearance
work
goes
well.

South
Western
Railway
said
the
slip,
just
after
17.30
last
night,
was
the
result
of
‘extreme’
rain,
and
that
it
is
trying
to
provide
replacement
buses
between
Winchester
and
Basingstoke.

A
limited
number
of
train
services
between
London
Waterloo
and
Weymouth
or
Portsmouth
Harbour
will
be
diverted
via
Havant,
but
SWR
warned
of
delays
and
cancellations.

CrossCountry
trains
will
not
be
calling
at
Winchester,
and
may
be
diverted
via
Andover.

SWR’s
projects
and
change
director
Alex
Foulds
said:
‘We’re
very
sorry
to
ask
customers
not
to
travel
between
Southampton
and
Basingstoke
following
the
landslip.

‘We
have
explored
all
options
to
provide
services
through
and
around
the
affected
area,
however
with
a
limited
number
of
buses
and
only
a
small
number
of
trains
able
to
be
diverted,
we
have
to
ask
customers
to
avoid
travelling.

‘The
line
between
Winchester
and
Basingstoke
is
likely
to
re-open
on
Wednesday
afternoon.
However,
the
knock-on
impact
will
mean
that
services
in
this
area
are
unlikely
to
recover
until
the
end
of
the
day,
as
trains
and
their
crews
will
be
displaced.’

It
is
the
second
time
this
year
that
main
line
South
Western
services
have
been
disrupted
by
a
landslip.
A
more
serious
landslip
near
Hook
in
Hampshire
on
14
January
meant
that
two
of
the
four
lines
were
blocked
when
their
foundations
collapsed,
and
services
continued
to
be
disrupted
until
late
February.