UPDATE: Rail travel advice for rugby fans heading to Twickenham (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

UPDATE: Rail travel advice for rugby fans heading to Twickenham

4:59pm Thursday 19th November 2009

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South West Trains (SWT) has drawn up an action plan to help passengers disrupted by a collapsed railway bridge.

The rail operator announced today it expects to offer commuters affected by the damaged bridge over the river Crane, in Feltham, an improved service “at some point next week”.

Network Rail engineers have been working on a temporary solution which is expected to allow a limited through service.

Meanwhile, lines between Feltham and Whitton and between Feltham and Hounslow will remain closed, affecting routes from Reading to Waterloo via Staines, and from Windsor to Waterloo via Staines.

Passengers have been advised to use alternative arrangements until a temporary solution is in place.

SWT has revised services for this weekend, and issued special advice for rugby fans travelling to the England v New Zealand international at Twickenham on Saturday.

It said eight trains per hour will run directly from London Waterloo to Twickenham, but passengers should be aware that they are likely to be “extremely” busy and advised they should allow extra time to get to and from the game.

Andy Pitt, managing director of SWT, said: “The damaged bridge at Feltham has severely disrupted rail services in the Feltham area and we would like to apologise to our customers for the significant disruption they have experienced.

“We have been working hard around the clock, in partnership with our colleagues at Network Rail, to deliver the most comprehensive service we can.

“We have also been working to identify the best and quickest temporary solution for our passengers until the bridge itself can be repaired.

“Network Rail have now advised us that they hope to have a temporary solution in place next week that will allow us to improve the service we can deliver.

“I would like to thank our customers for their patience and our staff for their hard work during what has been a very difficult situation for everyone.”

For details of alternative travel arrangements, visit www.southwesttrains.co.uk

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