Media centre

Thursday 1 Sep 2016

Full closure of Gospel Oak to Barking railway line starts 24 September

Region & Route:

| Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

| Southern

• Customers are being reminded that a full closure of the railway line between Gospel Oak and Barking will commence in late September following first phase of work
• Network Rail and Transport for London will be holding drop-in sessions at stations to answer questions
• From early 2018 passengers will benefit from four car trains that will provide double the space, reduce congestion and improve journeys

Customers and local residents are being reminded that the second phase of major upgrade work to the London Overground between Gospel Oak and Barking will result in the whole line being closed on weekdays and weekends from Saturday, 24 September, as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan.

Replacement bus services will be available for parts of the journey and customers are advised to plan their journeys in advance.

Ahead of the full line closure, staff will be holding a series of drop-in sessions at stations between Gospel Oak and South Tottenham from Monday, 5 September to Monday, 12 September. Staff will be at a different station each evening - between 4.30pm and 6.30pm - to meet passengers and those living near the railway and answer any questions they may have.

Network Rail is delivering the project, which is funded by the Department for Transport and Transport for London (TfL). The project will see TfL introduce new four car electric trains to replace the existing two car diesel trains from January 2018, helping to meet growing passenger demand. The trains are being built by Bombardier for TfL.

Network Rail is carrying out major work including lowering four major sections of track, installing structures to carry the overhead wires and rebuilding four bridges. The first phase of the work started in June with no service between South Tottenham and Barking during weekdays and a full line closure at weekends. From Saturday, 24 September to [date] February 2017, a full closure in both directions from Gospel Oak to Barking is necessary to carry out the second phase of the work. TfL will be providing rail replacement buses which will operate along the route.

Network Rail’s route managing director, Richard Schofield, said: “This upgrade will have huge benefits to passengers and those living near the railway. It will enable longer, quieter and cleaner trains to run. However, to achieve this we need more space under bridges to fit electrification equipment. In some locations this requires us to lower the track. The nature of this work is noisy and I would like to thank those living near the railway for their continued patience.

“Network Rail representatives will be at every drop-in session to explain the work and answer any questions passengers and those living near the railway may have.”

Mike Stubbs, TfL’s Director of London Overground, said: “We, along with Network Rail, will be holding drop-in sessions at stations along the route to ensure that customers are well informed and can plan their alternative journeys. We would like to thank our customers for their patience while this essential work takes place. The work being carried out by Network Rail will enable us to run new longer walk-through trains on the line from January 2018, which will double capacity on the route.”

Travel advice

Passengers should check before they travel and plan their journey in advance.

From Saturday, 24 September the replacement bus services will operate as follows:

Service T: Walthamstow Central - Leyton Midland Road - Leytonstone High Road - Wanstead Park - Woodgrange Park – East Ham– Barking. Buses every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends.

Service J: Gospel Oak - Upper Holloway - Crouch Hill - Finsbury Park - Harringay Green Lanes - Seven Sisters (for South Tottenham). Buses every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.

There is no replacement bus service between South Tottenham and Walthamstow Queen’s Road stations and customers are advised to use the Victoria line which is a faster alternative. Full details of the alternative travel and ticketing arrangements can be found at: tfl.gov.uk/london-overground-closure.

Regular pay as you go users of the Gospel Oak to Barking line will be automatically refunded the additional cost of travel via Zone 1 by Tube or rail.

ENDS

Notes to editors: 

• TfL and Network Rail have organised a number of drop-in sessions at stations along the Gospel Oak to Barking route in September. Staff will be available to answer questions at the following stations from 16:30-18:30:
  • Monday, 5 September – Gospel Oak
  • Tuesday, 6 September – Upper Holloway
  • Wednesday, 7 September – Crouch Hill
  • Thursday, 8 September – Harringay Green Lanes
  • Monday, 12 September – South Tottenham

• For more information on changes to journeys between Gospel Oak to Barking, including maps and travel advice, please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/london-overground-closure.
• For more information about refunds and ticket acceptance, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/london-overground-closure#on-this-page-4
• Sign up for email updates at tfl.gov.uk/emailupdates
• Railway neighbours who would like more information on how the work will impact their home can call Network Rail’s helpline on 0345 7 11 41 41 or visit www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus
• More information on work carried out by Network Rail on this route can also be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/gobe
• Follow Network Rail’s progress on Twitter @NetworkRailGOBE