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Thursday 27 Aug 2026

Autumn rail improvement works in Norfolk and Suffolk

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

On some weekends in September and October, railway engineers will be working to boost reliability on parts of the mainline between Norwich and Ipswich, as well as on the East Suffolk line and the Felixstowe branch line.

The works, which can only be done when trains aren’t running, will help to minimise faults and drive down delays. They include:

• Improving a level crossing near Great Moulton in Norfolk. Engineers will replace track and enhance the crossing surface to give passengers and road users a smoother ride.
• Replacing around 1.5km of old rails on the line between Stowmarket and Diss and just to the south of Norwich. The existing rails are over 50 years old and need to be replaced to keep everyone moving reliably.
• Carrying out extensive maintenance on the points around Ipswich station, including replacing old ballast (the stones underneath the track), sleepers and rails. Points are movable sections of track that allow trains to switch from one line to another, so they are essential for reliability.

Rail services will be affected as shown below during the works, with buses replacing Greater Anglia train services. Passengers are advised to check their journey plans before they travel at greateranglia.co.uk

Martin Beable, Chief Operating Officer for GBR Anglia, said: “These works will help us to keep running a safe and reliable service on these busy routes for years to come. Passengers should check before they travel on the affected weekends. We’re sorry for the disruption but we need access to the track to get these vital jobs done.”

GBR Anglia brings c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia together under a single unified structure on the journey to Great British Railways. The three organisations are increasingly planning and delivering as one railway, enabling faster and more joined up decision-making.

Sunday 6 September
Buses replace trains between Stowmarket and Ipswich, Halesworth and Ipswich, and Felixstowe and Ipswich.

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September
Buses replace trains between Norwich and Stowmarket.

Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September
Buses replace trains between Norwich and Stowmarket.

Sunday 4 October
Buses replace trains between Stowmarket and Ipswich, Halesworth and Ipswich, and Felixstowe and Ipswich.

Sunday 11 October
Buses replace trains between Norwich and Stowmarket.

The level crossing being improved is on High Green road near Great Moulton. The works will require the road to be closed at the level crossing over certain periods, so signposted diversion routes will be in place.