Woking-Brookwood line disruption: does it match today's alert, or is this old Christmas engineering news?

Wayne's monitoring flagged "major disruption" between Woking and Brookwood, expected to last until the end of service, with knock-on effects for routes between London Waterloo and Alton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth Harbour, and between Woking and Alton or Weymouth. The only reporting material returned for this alert is a Network Rail press release, and it does not obviously match a live, same-day disruption. According to [1], Network Rail announced engineering work in the Woking area "starting Monday" 23 December 2024, running until 6 January 2025, to upgrade the railway at Brookwood, between Farnborough and Woking. The stated purpose was embankment strengthening to reduce landslip risk, track tamping between Hook and Farnborough, and drainage improvements near the Basingstoke Canal to cut flood risk. The release, from Network Rail's Wessex route, sets out exactly the pattern named in the trigger: journeys between London Waterloo and Southampton Central, Poole and Weymouth diverted via Guildford and roughly 45 minutes longer; no direct services between London Waterloo, Salisbury and Exeter St Davids; and services between London Waterloo and Alton, Guildford and Farnham, and London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour via Basingstoke all affected, according to [1]. It also confirms no trains or buses ran on the South Western Railway network on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. That overlap is close enough to suggest the estate's instrument may simply be re-surfacing, or echoing, this planned Christmas/New Year engineering blockade rather than reporting a fresh, unplanned incident today. Network Rail's Wessex route director, Mark Goodall, is quoted in [1] saying the festive period was chosen deliberately because "fewer passengers are travelling and the railway is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day" — language consistent with scheduled, not emergency, works. South Western Railway's customer and commercial director, Peter Williams, is quoted making the same point: rail replacement buses, diversions and longer journeys were flagged in advance, with disruption "changing as engineering work progresses," according to [1]. What is not established by the material: today's actual date, whether the 23 December–6 January works window is still current or has already lapsed, and whether the trigger reflects a new fault, landslip, signalling failure or other incident distinct from the Christmas programme. The source is a promotional/press release from Network Rail's media centre, dated to the pre-Christmas announcement, and contains no timestamp confirming it describes disruption happening right now. If Wayne's instrument fired today and today is not within that 23 December–6 January window, this is most likely a stale or recycled release rather than live news, and no separate incident has been confirmed by any source. Given the uncertainty over dates, this should be read as background on a previously announced closure rather than confirmation of a current emergency. Network Rail's national helpline (03457 11 41 41) and South Western Railway's own christmas engineering page were the channels advised for passengers checking specific journeys, according to [1]. What to watch next: confirmation of today's actual date against the 23 December–6 January window, and any fresh Network Rail or SWR statement describing a new, unplanned incident at Brookwood rather than the scheduled festive engineering.