Essential railway improvement is taking place from today for seven days with buses replacing trains between Bournemouth and Dorchester South for a week.
From Saturday 15 to Friday 21 November, Network Rail engineers will strengthen a 300-metre stretch of embankment in Hamworthy and improve drainage at the Poole sidings to protect the line from flooding and improve reliability.
Further west, teams will renew the wheel timbers on the River Frome bridge near Wool, replacing them with longer-lasting Fibre-reinforced Foamed Urethane materials, and carry out footbridge improvements at Wool station.
To reduce environmental impact, the project will use sustainable materials and methods, including Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to power cranes, artificial timbers to reduce tree felling, and recycling of old rail and fastenings. Solar panels will also be used at work sites to increase renewable energy use.
On Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 November, buses will replace trains between Bournemouth and Dorchester South, while from Monday 17 to Friday 21 November, services will be replaced between Poole and Dorchester South.
George Murrell, Wessex Route Renewals Director, said the work is vital to keep trains running safely and reliably, with teams “working around the clock to strengthen key parts of the railway.”
Passengers are advised to plan ahead and check travel details with South Western Railway or at nationalrail.co.uk.
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