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Friday 21 Feb 2020

Billericay Landslip - Normal service expected to resume on Monday 24 February

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

On the morning of Wednesday 19 February, a landslip caused damage to the tracks between Billericay and Wickford on the Southend Victoria line. Ballast, the stones that help keep tracks safely in place, had fallen away under a section of track.

Network Rail’s engineers are working to repair the damage to the tracks and the embankment. With the line already planned to close this weekend for overhead line upgrade work, we expect all repairs to be completed for normal service to resume on Monday 24 February.

As a safety measure, the Southend-bound line at this location has been closed, with trains able to run in both directions on the adjacent line. This has, though, meant a reduction in the number of trains Greater Anglia can run. Passengers are asked to check before they travel and plan for slightly longer journeys.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail route director for Anglia said: “Our engineering teams are on site working to repair the damage as quickly as possible, with the aim of resuming a normal service on Monday. I’m sorry to all passengers affected by the disruption, we’re continuing to work with Greater Anglia to run as many trains as possible today.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, said: “We’re working closely with Network Rail to restore the normal service for Monday. As fewer trains are able to run today, there is a reduced service supplemented by buses between Wickford and Shenfield.”

“We advise customers to check before they travel and allow more time for their journeys. All travel information can be found on the Greater Anglia website, app or Twitter feed. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience while the issue is resolved. Anyone affected can claim delay repay at www.greateranglia.co.uk/delayrepay”