In order to improve reliability over its service, Network Rail has been conducting important renewal works. In order to improve the reliability of the Waterloo section of the rail network, Network Rail are conducting works in order to improve the section of rail.

Vital parts of the railway will be replaced by Network Rail in order to improve the resilience of the tracks. The project will cost £800 million as part of the Waterloo & South West Upgrade. The work was carried out over the 4^th and 5^th March to try and manage the disruption to commuters. Making the railway more resilient in this way will only help as more technology is developed to improve the railway industry.

The Waterloo & South West upgrade will make platforms longer, to accommodate longer trains along the Reading line. There will also be 30 new trains added to the service, which will total 150 extra carriages to carry more passengers on the busy network. These new train will run between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside. This service will also stop at Hounslow Loop, Weighbridge via Brentford. This means the extra space can be used at the busiest stations like Clapham Junction, Twickenham and Vauxhall.

Network Rail engineers worked round the clock to replace switches and crossings on the section. The work had to be completed as quickly as possible as the area is the busiest section of railway in Britain. The March weekends work cost £300,000 and is just one phase of the investment by Network Rail that will eventually see the replacement of large sections of the switches and crossings along the service to make it more reliable for passengers.

Work to continue the renewal will continue over the course of two other weekends in March. The works are expected to continue on the 18^th and 19^th of March as well as over the weekend of the 25^th and 26^th March. Conducting repairs like this at the weekend is more pragmatic because there are fewer services running in and out of Waterloo. However, this renewal work will mean that Queenstown Road will b closed during the weekends the work is taking place.

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