Trains to and from Southampton will be disrupted between Christmas and New Year due to a landslip.

Southampton commuters are being warned only to travel by train if absolutely necessary between Wednesday 27 to Friday 29, as National Rail carries out repair works.

Network Rail engineers will require access to two of the four tracks between Woking and Brookwood to repair the landslip that occurred in late November. 

This will affect train services at cities across the country and National Rail is warning residents to check the their train is running before setting off.

National Rail has also stated that engineering work is set to take place in the Southampton area, affecting services to Brockenhurst, Poole, Weymouth and Salisbury and Romsey via Eastleigh. 

The company said that if customers must travel, they should check their journeys carefully using journey planners, which will be up to date by Saturday 23 December. 

Stuart Meek, South Western Railway’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “This is a complex repair that our colleagues at Network Rail have been working hard to complete. 

"To make more progress, they will once again require access to two of the four tracks in the area which, while disruptive, is the best option available. 

“As we will only have half the number of tracks available, we will need to reduce our services as we did some weeks ago.

"Our advice to customers is that, if their trains run between Woking and Basingstoke, they should only travel if absolutely necessary. 

“Services to Southampton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth via Basingstoke, Salisbury and Exeter St David’s will all be affected. 

"Please check very carefully if you do have to travel. We’re very sorry for the continued disruption and appreciate our customers’ patience.” 

The a small landslip occurred at a 100-metre-long slope in a railway cutting between Woking and Brookwood. 

Network Rail engineers discovered cracks up to 45 metres long, 50cm wide and one metre deep in some places and work will soon begin to deal with the issue.