SOUTH Western Railway passengers face Christmas travel delays as the firm announced some stations will be closed as part of upgrade works.

Some services will be halved and stations closed with Network Rail set to carry out work as part of a nationwide investment of more than £148 million.

Travellers from Hampshire are being warned to plan ahead throughout the festive period to avoid problems in getting to certain destinations.

As part of the works, around half of normal services will be operating between December 23 and December 28 from Waterloo station.

Vauxhall station will be shut from December 23 for four days, while Guildford station is set for work from Christmas Day until December 30.

Becky Lumlock, Wessex route managing director for Network Rail, said: "Our engineers will be working around the clock throughout the festive period, delivering vital work to provide a better, more reliable railway for our passengers.

"The network is around 50 per cent less busy over the festive period, so while there’s never a good time to cause disruption, this means fewer people will have their journeys affected.

"We’re working closely with South Western Railway to make sure passengers can get to where they need to be over the festive period, but it’s important to check if your journey is affected before you travel."

With Victoria and Paddington stations both closed for part of the festive period for their own engineering work, both Waterloo and Clapham Junction stations could be busier than normal at this time of year.

These upgrades are part of Network Rail’s five-year Railway Upgrade Plan – a multi-billion-pound investment in the rail network which will improve passenger journeys in the months and years ahead.

Alan Penlington, customer experience director for South Western Railway, added: "We’re doing all we can to reduce the impact of Network Rail’s vital engineering work on our customers, including putting on rail replacement services to keep our passengers on the move.

"We recommend you look online for further journey information and check other train companies’ publicity too as works elsewhere may affect your journey."