| New Forest trainline closed for emergency repairs after landslip Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:39, 17th January 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Trainline closed for repairs after landslip
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The track near Battramsley suffered a minor landslip
A trainline will be closed for emergency engineer works after the route suffered a minor landslip following Storm Goretti.
Passengers travelling between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier will need to use a replacement bus service, while Network Rail engineers repair the track near Battramsley.
The rail firm said buses will run every 30 minutes on Saturday and every 60 minutes on Sunday adding that any further service changes for the start of next week will be confirmed in due course. Travellers have been advised to check their journey before they travel and allow extra time.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Experts will install a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment
Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, Tom McNamee, infrastructure director, said: "We're very sorry for the additional disruption and the short notice of this line closure. We understand that closing the Lymington branch line will be frustrating for passengers and it's not a decision we've taken lightly." He added that they are doing everything they can to get the railway back open as soon as possible.
Network Rail said engineers spotted movement under the track over the festive period and had planned to conduct permanent repairs at the end of February. Strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Goretti led to a landslip which forced it to bring the works forward.
Experts will install a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment that the railway is built on. These sheet piles will act as a solid barrier, holding the slope in place and stopping the earth from moving.
Once the repair is complete, one train per hour will run between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier at a reduced speed. Engineers will monitor the area of the landslip before returning to the normal service of two trains per hour.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The track near Battramsley suffered a minor landslip
A trainline will be closed for emergency engineer works after the route suffered a minor landslip following Storm Goretti.
Passengers travelling between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier will need to use a replacement bus service, while Network Rail engineers repair the track near Battramsley.
The rail firm said buses will run every 30 minutes on Saturday and every 60 minutes on Sunday adding that any further service changes for the start of next week will be confirmed in due course. Travellers have been advised to check their journey before they travel and allow extra time.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Experts will install a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment
Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, Tom McNamee, infrastructure director, said: "We're very sorry for the additional disruption and the short notice of this line closure. We understand that closing the Lymington branch line will be frustrating for passengers and it's not a decision we've taken lightly." He added that they are doing everything they can to get the railway back open as soon as possible.
Network Rail said engineers spotted movement under the track over the festive period and had planned to conduct permanent repairs at the end of February. Strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Goretti led to a landslip which forced it to bring the works forward.
Experts will install a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment that the railway is built on. These sheet piles will act as a solid barrier, holding the slope in place and stopping the earth from moving.
Once the repair is complete, one train per hour will run between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier at a reduced speed. Engineers will monitor the area of the landslip before returning to the normal service of two trains per hour.
| Re: New Forest trainline closed for emergency repairs after landslip Posted by Ralph Ayres at 17:34, 18th January 2026 | |
...whatever a "trainline" is! No reflection on CfN, who was I assume just quoting.
| Re: New Forest trainline closed for emergency repairs after landslip Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:40, 18th January 2026 | |
Yes - I had a grin about the wording in the BBC article, so I made a point of quoting it verbatim. [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Re: New Forest trainline closed for emergency repairs after landslip Posted by CyclingSid at 18:33, 19th January 2026 | |
A fair length of the line already has sheet piling.
| Re: New Forest trainline closed for emergency repairs after landslip Posted by Red Squirrel at 10:29, 20th January 2026 | |
Yes - I had a grin about the wording in the BBC article, so I made a point of quoting it verbatim. [Image from here is not available to guests]
According to the OED 'train line' has been in use since 1828.
Shunting it into a single word is probably more recent, possibly due to its use in that form by a railway ticket retailer.
Technically there is some ambiguity in using this term to refer to railway track, as it can also refer to the hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical systems of a train. But the meaning was pretty clear in this case, wasn't it?
| Re: New Forest trainline closed for emergency repairs after landslip Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:23, 21st January 2026 | |
Noting that the BBC have now reverted to the rather more common usage of the terminology 'branch line' ... [Image from here is not available to guests]
From the BBC:
Brockenhurst - Lymington branch line service to resume after track repairs
[Image from here is not available to guests]
A full service is expected to resume on a branch line after a small landslip.
The track between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier in Hampshire was closed from Friday to Sunday after heavy rain. The line then reopened with one train per hour - rather than two - in each direction and a reduced speed limit.
Network Rail said it hoped to restore a full service on Thursday, although it said further work would be carried out on the weekend of 21/22 February. The recent three-day closure was caused by heavy rain that shifted an embankment near Battramsley. Engineers found a further track defect nearby, which is due to be repaired on Wednesday night, the track operator added.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Previously, South Western Railway said a reduced service was expected until 23 February due to the complexity of the work. However, some of the repairs were brought forward due to the damage from Storm Goretti, according to Network Rail. The ground beneath the track was rebuilt and sheet piles were driven in to hold the embankment in place.
Infrastructure director Tom McNamee from Network Rail said: "I would like to thank our passengers for bearing with us. The recent wet weather and Storm Goretti left us with no choice but to get our teams to come in and carry out these vital repairs."
[Image from here is not available to guests]
A full service is expected to resume on a branch line after a small landslip.
The track between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier in Hampshire was closed from Friday to Sunday after heavy rain. The line then reopened with one train per hour - rather than two - in each direction and a reduced speed limit.
Network Rail said it hoped to restore a full service on Thursday, although it said further work would be carried out on the weekend of 21/22 February. The recent three-day closure was caused by heavy rain that shifted an embankment near Battramsley. Engineers found a further track defect nearby, which is due to be repaired on Wednesday night, the track operator added.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Previously, South Western Railway said a reduced service was expected until 23 February due to the complexity of the work. However, some of the repairs were brought forward due to the damage from Storm Goretti, according to Network Rail. The ground beneath the track was rebuilt and sheet piles were driven in to hold the embankment in place.
Infrastructure director Tom McNamee from Network Rail said: "I would like to thank our passengers for bearing with us. The recent wet weather and Storm Goretti left us with no choice but to get our teams to come in and carry out these vital repairs."
