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Tuesday 27 Sep 2016

Time-lapse footage shows work to replace overhead wire to reduce delays for rail passengers in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex

Region & Route:

| Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

| Southern

Time-lapse footage captured by Network Rail over the weekend (24-25 September) shows engineers taking down over 1km of overhead wire on the railway at Gidea Park, so it can be replaced with new wire that will reduce delays for passengers as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

The new wire will not sag in the heat of the summer, meaning fewer delays for passengers, and a more reliable railway all year round. The work is part of a £250m project to replace 320km of wire on this busy route. Once the work is complete at Gidea Park, a long-standing speed restriction imposed in hot weather between Shenfield and Ilford can be removed, benefitting passengers as far as Norwich.

Richard Schofield, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “This work is crucial to improving the railway for everyone in the region as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, and once complete, passengers will experience fewer delays on their journeys to and from London. I’d like to thank passengers for their understanding while we carry out the work, and I’d advise anyone planning to travel over the next six weekends to check their journeys beforehand.”

Work also took place to upgrade the railway for the Crossrail programme in preparation for Elizabeth line services.

A further six weekends of improvement work is planned, which affects Abellio Greater Anglia and TfL Rail services into Liverpool Street, followed by a further 10 days over the Christmas and New Year period. Passengers travelling on the railway line between Norwich and London are being asked to check before they travel.

The programme of work includes:

• The complete remodelling of a key junction at Shenfield to help deliver more reliable journeys for passengers travelling from London to Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich by May 2017. These improvements will enable passenger and freight trains to travel through the area more freely, reducing the risk of delays to other services.
• Work to replace more overhead wires between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street. This £250m project will improve reliability and significantly reduce the impact of heat-related disruption during the summer when overhead wires sag and speed restrictions are imposed.
• Crossrail construction work continues at stations between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield providing improvements and extended platforms in preparation for the arrival of new air-conditioned trains that will start operating on the TfL Rail route from May 2017.
• Signalling works and installation of station canopies and other structural steel works for the new Cambridge North station, due to open in May 2017.
• In addition, TfL is replacing a road bridge at Ardleigh Green near Gidea Park, which has been timed to coincide with existing railway line closures to ensure minimum disruption to passengers.

Notes to editors

 

Autumn 2016

Passengers are urged to check with National Rail or their train operator before they travel to see how their specific journeys may be affected

Date	TfL Rail	Abellio Greater Anglia
Saturday 1 October	No service between Chadwell Heath and Shenfield**	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street after midday***
Sunday 2 October	No service between Stratford and Shenfield*	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street***
Saturday 8 October	No service after 11:15am between Stratford and Shenfield*	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street after midday***
Sunday 9 October	No service between Stratford and Shenfield*	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street***
Saturday 15 October	No service between Chadwell Heath and Shenfield**	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street***
Sunday 16 October	No service between Stratford and Shenfield*
Saturday 22 October	No service between Chadwell Heath and Shenfield**	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street***
Sunday 23 October	No service between Stratford and Shenfield*
Saturday 29 October	No service between Stratford and Shenfield. No services between London Liverpool Street and Stratford after 8pm*	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street***
Sunday 30 October	No services between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield*
Saturday 5 November	No service between Chadwell Heath and Shenfield**	No services between Witham/Billericay and London Liverpool Street***
Sunday 6 November	No service between Stratford and Shenfield*

* Rail replacement bus services will run via Newbury Park (for the Central line)

** Rail replacement bus services will call at affected stations

*** Rai replacement bus services will run via Witham/Billericay and Newbury Park (for the Central line)

Cambridge North

Works at the new Cambridge North station will affect Abellio Greater Anglia services between Norwich and Cambridge on 9th, 15th, 16th and 23rd October. Passengers can use cross country services travel to Cambridge or Peterborough for services to London.

Christmas 2016

In December 2016, the Great Eastern Main line will be closed from Witham and Billericay into London Liverpool Street from 24 December to 2 January inclusive, affecting both Abellio Greater Anglia and TfL Rail services except:

• On Christmas Eve, TfL Rail services will be able to operate a limited service between Liverpool Street and Chadwell Heath.
• Between 28 December and 2 January 2017 (inclusive), TfL Rail will be able to operate a limited service between Liverpool Street and Chadwell Heath.

Rail replacement bus services will operate from Ingatestone and Billericay to Newbury Park. A rail replacement bus service will operate between Shenfield and Chadwell Heath for TfL Rail passengers.