LOCAL rail passengers have been given advance notice that Woking junction will be closed over the Christmas/new year period causing disruption to SWT rail services. According to Network Rail spokesman Ben Herbert, major engineering work will begin after the last train has passed through at 11 pm on Christmas Eve and will continue until 4 am on Monday, January 3. Mr Herbert explained that the work would involve signalling, crossings and switches, most of which have "life expired" and need to be replaced and repaired to make the train run more efficient. The line is heavily used by commuters, with thousands of people travelling through Woking on a daily basis. But over the past year, Network Rail has been experiencing habitual problems in this area and it has now become essential to deal with these problems in order to maintain the reliability of the rail service. The nine days between Christmas and the new year have been chosen for the work as it is traditionally the quietest period on the railway. Although it is not intended to close Woking Station, according to South West Trains, the station will not be accessible from the Alton/ Farnham direction and passengers travelling up to London from there will have to change onto the Guildford line at Aldershot. A similar diversion will be in place on the down journey. A bus service will be available for those wanting to travel to Woking from Aldershot. Viewed as "good news" by Network Rail, Alton Line Users chairman Chris Campbell is grateful to both companies for giving local passengers early warning of the work. He was notified of the proposed delays at a recent meeting with rail chiefs during which he also learnt of a "half- hearted" attempt to improve off peak journey times on the Alton/ Farnham to Waterloo route. Disappointed with the current timetable which has added up to 20 minutes on some journey times to and from London Waterloo, local rail users have been offered a sop from December. According to Mr Campbell, the winter timetable will enable passengers travelling out of Waterloo to board the fast Portsmouth train and transfer to the Alton train at Woking, saving seven minutes on the down journey time. The system will work on Monday through to Saturday, with the fast half-hourly and hourly Portsmouth services stopping on the same platform as the slower Alton train. It is not entirely to the satisfaction of ALUA which remains in negotiations with SWT to speed up the service. In pointing out that the current level of service is the slowest it has been since the 1930s, Mr Campbell told The Herald: "Down track times from Waterloo to Alton have increased from 65 minutes to up to 85 minutes in some cases, and that is just not good enough. It may not happen this December, but we will continue to seek improved journey times both for commuters and off-peak travellers," he said. With the recent transfer of Strategic Rail Authority duties to the Department for Transport, ALUA also intends to step up pressure for the redoubling of the track between Alton and Farnham. This, members believe, would accommodate a faster service into Alton and allow for increased freight traffic generated by the Humbly Grove oil depot and the newly opened Materials Recovery Facility on the A31 at Froyle. It is a move supported by Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In its July newsletter, a report from member Pat Lerew makes quite clear that the chamber is looking for a "good, fast and reliable service" not just for commuters but to support the town's growing tourist industry and to act as an attraction for businesses who may be interested in relocating to Alton. Mrs Lerew points out that unless the rail system improves Alton will remain "out on a limb" business-wise, and unable to reach its full potential. ALUA has asked the chamber to support the lobby for reinstatement of double track working, on the basis that while it remains at the end of a single track Alton remains vulnerable to "sudden cuts in service, delays and unacceptable elongated journeys". Mrs Lerew believes it to be "an important and major project" for the chamber to take on board and one which will benefit not only Alton's economy, but the community as a whole.
