No trains run west of Chichester from 26 to 30 October. Buses replace them to Havant, Portsmouth and Southampton while the Havant signals are replaced.
No trains will run west of Chichester for the whole of October half term. The line to Havant closes from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October while Network Rail replaces the signalling around Havant. Southern trains from Brighton and London will end at Chichester.
Replacement buses will run from Chichester to Portsmouth Harbour and to Southampton Central. That is the week West Sussex schools are off, so it lands on family days out as well as commuters.
The closure is set out on Network Rail’s page for the work and in National Rail’s engineering notice. Both were live on 4 October.
What changes, day by day
The half-term blockade is the biggest of four sets of works touching Chichester journeys in the second half of October.
- Sunday 18 October, all day. All lines close between Littlehampton and Barnham. Buses replace trains between Littlehampton and Barnham, Bognor Regis and Chichester. National Rail notice.
- Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, late nights. The 22:35 London Victoria to Chichester ends at Barnham and the 23:18 London Bridge to Chichester ends at Littlehampton, with buses on. On the Tuesday to Friday mornings the 04:55 Chichester to Brighton starts from Barnham, with a bus from Chichester leaving earlier. National Rail notice.
- Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. Buses replace trains between Havant and Southampton Central. Network Rail lists no other changes for those two days.
- Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. The main closure. Southern trains end at Chichester. Buses run from Chichester to Portsmouth Harbour and from Chichester to Southampton Central. National Rail’s notice says Southern trains between Chichester and Brighton will run to an amended timetable.
- Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November. The work moves to the Portsmouth Direct line. South Western Railway trains from Waterloo end at Haslemere on the Saturday and Guildford on the Sunday, with buses to Havant. The National Rail notice lists no Southern changes for that weekend.
Who is affected
Every station between Chichester and Havant loses its trains for the five days. That means Fishbourne, Bosham, Nutbourne, Southbourne, Emsworth and Warblington.
Fishbourne is the station for Fishbourne Roman Palace, which is running Roman Army Week for children over the same five days. It is on our half term listings. If you planned to arrive by train, allow for the replacement bus or plan to drive.
Network Rail is also closing four level crossings for the week:
- Havant station, from 5am on Monday 26 October to 9pm on Friday 30 October
- Bedhampton station, for the same hours
- New Fishbourne, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October
- Blackboy Lane, Monday 26 to Friday 30 October
Network Rail has not published times for the two crossings near Chichester, only the dates. A fifth crossing, Hammer Lane, closes on Sunday 1 November only.
Why the line is closing
The closure is part of what Network Rail calls its £120 million Havant re-signalling programme. Control of the railway around Havant will move from the Havant Area Signalling Centre to Network Rail’s regional operating centre at Basingstoke.
During the week, its list of work includes:
- 61 axle counters, which detect when trains enter and leave a section of track
- 23 automatic warning system and nine train protection and warning system components
- new fibre and power cabling, and refurbished cable routes
- a full track renewal at Fishbourne, replacing the rails, sleepers and ballast
- removing the footbridge at Havant station by crane, in sections
Network Rail says some of this can only be done safely with no trains running, and that grouping the work into one closure reduces the need for more later.
What it means for you
- Travelling east is mostly unaffected that week. Trains to Barnham, Bognor Regis, Worthing, Brighton and London still run from Chichester, though Brighton trains run to a changed timetable. Check times on National Rail nearer the day.
- Travelling west, allow extra time. Replacement buses take longer than the train, and National Rail warns they may be busier than usual.
- Going to Portsmouth or Southampton? The buses run from Chichester to Portsmouth Harbour and to Southampton Central. Pick-up points are signed at each station.
- Driving instead? The A27 is the obvious alternative, so expect it to be busier around Havant. Our roadworks and travel page carries the week’s road closures, and the city centre street works are covered there too.
- Living near the line? Network Rail warns of more engineering vehicles, equipment deliveries and teams working at different times along the route. Its 24-hour helpline is 03457 11 41 41.
We will check the notices again in the week before half term and add Southern’s amended timetable when it is published.
Sources
- Network Rail, Havant re-signalling works, October 2026, read 4 October 2026.
- National Rail engineering notices: Havant, 26 to 30 October, Guildford, Haslemere and Havant, 31 October and 1 November, Chichester, 19 to 23 October and Barnham, 18 October, read 4 October 2026.
- West Sussex half term dates: our Chichester term dates page.
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