Chichester level crossings to be impacted by half-term railway line closures

Level crossings between Chichester and Barnham will be impacted to 'varying degrees' during the half-term railway line closures.
Barnham Railway StationBarnham Railway Station
Barnham Railway Station

That is according to Network Rail, which will shut the line over nine days during the autumn half-term, as well as two Sundays and a further weekend to allow for 2.3km of new track to be laid and improvement works at several level crossings.

Network Rail said the stations directly affected by the closure will be: Barnham, Chichester, Fishbourne, Bosham, Nutbourne, Southbourne, Emsworth, Warblington and Havant and there will be an impact on 15 level crossings and two footpath crossings.

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A spokesman said: "Level crossings are impacted to varying degrees across the Barnham to Havant line upgrade. For the bulk of the upgrade, the majority of the affected level crossings along the line remain open, partially open or are only closed for short amounts of time.

"The four level crossings with the most impact are Basin Road, Stockbridge Road, Brook Lane and Bosham."

Network Rail confirmed that Basin Road and Stockbridge Road crossings, in Chichester town centre, will be closed on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27, Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3. These will be re-opened during week days to 'minimise local impacts'.

Brook Lane and Bosham Station crossings will be closed from Monday, October 28 to Friday, November 1.

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"To ensure any impact to the local community is minimised, we’ve worked closely with local road authorities and key stakeholders over many months, and installed advanced warning signs at all affected level crossings," the spokesman added.

"Detailed information about all level crossing impacts is published on the 'travel Information' section on the West Sussex County Council website."

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Network Rail is this week reminding West Coastway passengers to allow extra travel time for their journeys and to check before travelling.

The major work will involve closing the line and a number of level crossings over nine days from Saturday, October 26, to Sunday, November 3, plus two Sundays and one further weekend.

During the weekdays, buses will replace trains between Havant and Chichester and journeys will take longer than usual.

On the weekend dates the line between Havant and Barnham will be closed, meaning buses will replace trains between those stations on each date affected.

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Dan Athol, programme director for Network Rail said: “Our extensive passenger information campaign has seen tens of thousands of impacted passengers informed about this important work and their travel options during the line upgrade.

“Passengers should allow extra travel time as journeys will take longer than expected. Level crossing closures will also impact traffic flow in the area, particularly around Chichester. We’re encouraging motorists to follow all diversion signage and allow extra travel time.

"The half-term closure will see hundreds of dedicated engineers working uninterrupted 24 hours a day, enabling us to get the work done in 9 days, as opposed to 18 separate weekends.

“We’re also taking this opportunity to carry out some station improvements. When passengers catch their regular services again from Monday morning, they will notice a tidier station.”

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Throughout the work, there will be no Southern trains west of Havant to Portsmouth or Southampton. Great Western Railway services to/from Brighton will run to/from Portsmouth instead.

Trains to London will still run from Havant (to London Waterloo via South Western Railway) and Bognor Regis (via Southern). During the week days, trains to London will also run from Chichester (via Southern).

Keith Jipps, Infrastructure Director at Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “Many of our Southern services will be impacted by the important work. Passengers should take a moment this week to check if their regular service is changed and allow for longer journey times.”