SOUTH Western Railway has confirmed a raft of improvements, including a new direct rail service between Farnham and Guildford, will not be delivered as promised this December - adding to passengers’ medley of misery this week.

In the latest blow to beleaguered commuters, Network Rail advised passengers “not to travel” on Wednesday morning due to a major fault with the signalling system between Surbiton and Woking.

Chaos ensued at Farnham station, with passengers and station staff unsure whether to board trains or wait for rail-replacement buses and taxis, adding to the confusion already caused by a combination of strike action and engineering works this week.

Commuters on the line between Alton and Farnham have been forced to swap the train for the bus since Tuesday as work is undertaken by Network Rail to strengthen the embankment and track between the two stations. It is expected to go on until tomorrow.

Onward trains between Farnham and London Waterloo have also been reduced to one service per hour, down from two, with members of the RMT union staging a five-day walkout in an escalation of the dispute over the role of guards.

And to make matters worse, South Western Railway confirmed that one of its standout promises when taking over the franchise in August 2017, to reinstate direct rail services from Farnham to Guildford, will also now not be delivered as planned this December.

Responding to the disruption on the platform at Farnham on Wednesday, commuter Emma Proctor accused the rail operator and station staff of being “vague” and not keeping passengers informed. She added that getting to her workplace in Ascot requires two lengthy and crowded bus-replacement journeys, taking a three hours to travel just 20 miles.

Waterloo-bound commuter Greg Knight, 32, said the scene at Farnham was “crazy” and the disruption “ridiculous”, adding he was lucky to work for a “very understanding” employer.

“It’s been like this since South Western Railway took over the franchise and I’m fed up with it,” he continued. “I travel up from Alton and I haven’t had a train run on time since last August when they took over.”

Another commuter, Joel Hope, 34, told the Herald he receives written warnings “most days” from his employer for being late at work as a result of the disruption.

And he added: "They don’t believe me because often the trains leave Farnham on time, but by the time you reach Waterloo they are always delayed - they never go into the station on time.”

He continued: “It’s been like that for years now. It’s an absolute nightmare, and you can’t guarantee getting home either. It is often 9pm or 10pm when you get home, and you’ve left work at 5.30pm. It’s not very nice when you pay nearly £5,000 for it every year!

"The strikes are making the service even worse, and now I can’t get in at all. Hopefully my boss will be ok with that.”

South Western Railway consulted the public on sweeping changes to its December timetable earlier this year, including plans for an additional twice-hourly service from Farnham to Guildford.

However, the Government has since banned rail operators from making wholesale changes to timetables following the fiasco on Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern in May, and South Western Railway has confirmed the Guildford rail link is one of the proposed changes to be knocked back.

Speaking to the Herald, a South Western Railway spokesman said the operator was “very disappointed” at the Government’s decision, and is “still very keen” to reintroduce Farnham to Guildford services - but added these will not be implemented until mid-2019 at the earliest.

The spokesman added that the rail franchise has submitted plans for “phased” changes, starting in May next year, to Network Rail and is still awaiting a response - but would not confirm if the new Guildford service forms part of this bid.

Explaining the cause of the ongoing engineering works between Alton and Farnham, a Network Rail spokesman said: “Due to the exceptionally dry summer, resulting in the lowest soil-moisture levels on record, the clay embankment has dried out and shrunk, reducing stability of the track.”

For the safety of passengers, on August 29 the decision was taken to introduce a 30mph speed restriction at Bentley and a 50mph speed restriction on the single line between Farnham and Alton. While this has caused frustration amongst passengers who are currently experiencing extended journey times of up to one hour and 30 minutes compared with the advertised off-peak scheduled times of one hour and 17 minutes, the work is said to be “essential” if trains are to be allowed to travel through the section at the normal speed.

A rail replacement bus service has been provided for passengers travelling between Alton and Farnham during the works, and Network Rail says that having completed the work it would expect the speed restriction on this section of the track to be removed on November 26.

The works have been timed to coincide with the latest RMT industrial action, with guards and train drivers on South Western Railway instructed to not to book on for any shifts between 12.01am on Tuesday, October 23, and 11.59pm on Saturday, October 27.

Further 24 hour strikes are planned by the rail union on November 3, November 10, November 17 and November 24.