COLCHESTER-CLACTON TRACK AND SIGNAL IMPROVEMENT WORKS: ‘CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL THIS SPRING BANK HOLIDAY’

Tuesday 20 May 2008

COLCHESTER-CLACTON TRACK AND SIGNAL IMPROVEMENT WORKS: ‘CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL THIS SPRING BANK HOLIDAY’

Region & Route:: Eastern: Anglia; | Eastern

As part of Network Rail’s £92m investment to upgrade the rail infrastructure along the Colchester to Clacton line, important improvement works are scheduled for East Gate Junction, Colchester, during the spring bank holiday.

From 23:00 hours on Friday 23 May to 06:00 hours on Wednesday 28 May the level crossing and roads adjacent to the worksite, Harwich Road and East Street, will be temporarily closed for 79 hours. Access will be maintained for businesses and residents. During this time road detours will be in place, the train services between Colchester station and Clacton/Walton stations will be suspended and replacement buses will be running.

At East Gate Junction, Network Rail will be completely renewing the track. This work supports the enhancement of the Great Eastern Main Line between Marks Tey and Clacton/Walton, which includes the complete renewal of the signal system, the upgrading of level crossings and a platform extension at Clacton and Hythe Stations to accommodate longer trains. Together these upgrades will improve ride quality, reliability and service for passengers.

Network Rail’s Director of Infrastructure Investment, Simon Kirby, said: “We know this work can be disruptive and we would like to thank all our passengers for their patience while we carry out this major upgrade programme.

“The majority of services will continue to run over the bank holiday weekend, however, and this work will allow us to offer passengers better, faster and more frequent services across the country in years to come. Please do check before you travel and plan your journey carefully.”

Network Rail plans to undertake the improvements at East Gate Junction, as quickly and efficiency as possible to minimise disruption. Whilst the upgrades take place pedestrians, motorists and commuters are encouraged to plan their journey in advance by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or contacting the train operator.

The works at East Gate Junction have been approved by the Essex County Council and the local Highways Authority.

Notes to editors

In addition, improvement works at Manningtree will also take place on the Great Eastern Main Line over the spring bank holiday weekend. Track work at Manningtree South Junction will make journeys more reliable for passengers between Colchester and Ipswich. The work over the spring bank holiday will make points on the track more resistant to changes in temperature and completes a £1.2 million project to improve the railway in this area. Details of the main concentrations of work across the country are available on Network Rail’s website www.network.rail.co.uk/spring. Network Rail is working closely with train operators, Passenger Focus and other partners in the rail industry to get up to date information to passengers before they travel. Travel information for the bank holiday weekend has been available from National Rail Enquiries for several weeks. For advice on journeys and ticket information, passengers should contact National Rail Enquiries at: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk or on 08457 48 49 50.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - South East route
020 3357 7969
southeastroutecomms@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Media centre