No trains run between Petersfield and Portsmouth Harbour from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October while Havant is re-signalled. Buses also replace trains north to Guildford on Sunday 25 October.
Trains between Petersfield and Portsmouth stop for a full working week from Monday 26 October. Network Rail is closing the line through Havant from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October to replace the signalling, and buses will run between Petersfield and Portsmouth Harbour instead. London trains will still run, but they will start and finish at Petersfield.
The closure falls in Hampshire’s school half term. It is bracketed by two more weekend closures that cut Petersfield off in the other direction: buses between Guildford and Petersfield on Sunday 25 October, and buses south of Haslemere on Saturday 31 October and south of Guildford on Sunday 1 November.
All of it comes from National Rail’s engineering notice and Network Rail’s page on the Havant works, both read on 10 October.
Every closure, in date order
| Date | What is closed | What runs instead |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 11 Oct | Woking to Haslemere | Petersfield trains run to Haslemere only; buses Haslemere to Woking |
| Sun 18 Oct | Woking to Haslemere, and the lines through Guildford | Petersfield trains run to Haslemere only; buses Haslemere to Woking |
| Sun 25 Oct | Guildford to Petersfield | Buses Guildford to Petersfield |
| Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct | Petersfield to Havant and Portsmouth Harbour | London trains terminate at Petersfield; buses Petersfield to Portsmouth Harbour |
| Sat 31 Oct | Haslemere to Havant | London trains terminate at Haslemere; buses Haslemere to Havant |
| Sun 1 Nov | Guildford to Havant | London trains terminate at Guildford; buses Guildford to Havant |
Sources: National Rail, 10 and 11 October, 18 October, 25 October, 26 to 30 October and 31 October and 1 November.
The half-term week
From Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, South Western Railway’s London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour trains will run between London Waterloo and Petersfield only. Buses replace trains between Petersfield and Portsmouth Harbour. Southern’s trains from the Chichester direction terminate at Chichester, with buses on to Havant, Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central.
For anyone in Petersfield that means:
- a journey to Havant, Portsmouth or Southsea is a bus from the station forecourt, not a train
- a journey to London is a train, as usual, but one that starts at Petersfield rather than passing through from Portsmouth
- Liss and Liphook keep their London trains; the closure is south of Petersfield
- the week is half term for Hampshire’s county schools, so the usual school traffic is off the road but the day-trip traffic is on it
National Rail says replacement buses “may be busier than usual” and asks passengers to allow extra time. The pick-up point is shown on station signage, or by searching the station on National Rail’s find a station page. Questions about the work itself go to Network Rail’s 24-hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41.
What is being done
The closure is part of a £120 million programme to re-signal the Havant area, the next phase of what Network Rail calls the Portsmouth Direct Upgrade. It is replacing the signalling and interlocking equipment and moving control of the railway from the Havant Area Signalling Centre to the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre.
Network Rail lists the work for the October closure as:
- installing 61 axle counters, 23 AWS components and nine TPWS components, the train detection and warning kit that sits beside the track
- refurbishing cable routes and installing new fibre and power cabling
- installing new signalling equipment, with testing and preparation for the rest of the programme
- track, third rail, switch and level crossing maintenance
- renewing track at Fishbourne, and removing the Havant station footbridge by crane
- track renewal, a tunnel examination and vegetation clearance around Liphook, Petersfield and Liss
That last line is why the Guildford to Petersfield line is also shut on Sunday 25 October: the engineers are using the blockade to work on our stretch of the line too.
Four level crossings close for the week. Havant and Bedhampton shut from 5am on Monday 26 October until 9pm on Friday 30 October, New Fishbourne and Blackboy Lane close for the same five days, and Hammer Lane closes on Sunday 1 November. None of them is in East Hampshire, but anyone driving to Havant or Hayling that week will meet the diversions.
“Some of the work can only be completed safely when trains are not running,” Network Rail says on its page.
This weekend and next
Before any of that, the line is shut north of Haslemere this weekend and again next Sunday. On Sunday 11 October and Sunday 18 October there are no trains between Woking and Haslemere. Petersfield trains run as far as Haslemere, and buses link Haslemere and Woking. On 18 October the lines through Guildford are shut as well, so Guildford to Aldershot and Effingham Junction to Guildford are on buses too.
Driving instead
The A3 south from Petersfield towards Portsmouth is not in National Highways’ closure report for the week of the rail blockade; the report only runs a week ahead, so check nearer the time. The A3 southbound north of Petersfield is shut overnight between Milford and Hazel Grove, through the Hindhead Tunnel, every night until at least Thursday 15 October, and the scheme page runs those closures to 30 October. The current list is on our roadworks and travel page.
The station car park is unchanged: £9.70 for a peak day, £4.90 off-peak.
What it means for you
- Commuting to London from 26 to 30 October: your train runs, but it starts at Petersfield. Check the timetable for that week rather than assuming the usual departure times.
- Going to Portsmouth, Southsea, Havant or Hayling that week: it is a bus from Petersfield. Allow extra time, and more if you are travelling with a bike or a pushchair.
- Sunday 25 October: no trains north of Petersfield. Buses run to Guildford, where trains to London resume.
- Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November: Petersfield has no trains at all. Buses run from Haslemere on the Saturday and from Guildford on the Sunday.
- Sundays 11 and 18 October: trains to Haslemere only, then a bus to Woking.
More closures follow in November and December. National Rail already lists buses between Guildford and Haslemere on 7 November, Haslemere and Petersfield to Havant on 5 December, and Guildford, Haslemere and Havant to Portsmouth Harbour on 7 December. We will update this page and the roadworks and travel page as each is confirmed.
Related
- Petersfield trains to London: fares, journey times and the station car park.
- Petersfield roadworks and travel: the A3 overnight closures and every road closure order in the district.
- October half term in Petersfield: what is on during the week the trains stop.
Sources
- Network Rail, Havant re-signalling works, October 2026, read on 10 October 2026, for the dates, the replacement bus routes, the £120 million programme, the equipment counts, the level crossing closures and the helpline.
- National Rail, Havant re-signalling works, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, read on 10 October 2026, for the South Western Railway and Southern service pattern and the advice on replacement buses.
- National Rail engineering notices for 10 and 11 October, 18 October, 25 October, 31 October and 1 November, 7 November, 5 December and 7 December, all read on 10 October 2026.
- South Western Railway, planned engineering works, read on 10 October 2026, which lists the same closures.
- Hampshire County Council, school term dates, for half term from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026.
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