Media centre

Wednesday 27 Mar 2024

East Suffolk line weekend engineering work this spring

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Passengers are being encouraged to check their journey plans before travelling as important engineering work on the East Suffolk line will take place over three consecutive weekends in April to maintain the reliability and safety of the line.

This engineering work will be taking place as part of important renewals and track maintenance tasks to keep the railway running reliably and safely and to support the wider transport strategy of the Sizewell C project to move up to 60%of construction materials by rail and sea, reducing reliance on HGVs using local roads.

The work covers a range of activities including:

• removing old rail at Saxmundham and replacing it with new rail, to provide a smoother ride experience for passengers and to support freight services delivering heavy construction materials to the Sizewell C project,
• replacing defective signalling cabling in the Saxmundham area to address signal failures, minimising disruptions to passengers and freight services,
• replacing wheel timbers and maintenance work on the Oulton Broad South swingbridge,
• site surveying at Woodbridge station in preparation for upcoming track renewal works. Track renewals help prevent disruptions and provide a smoother ride experience for passengers.

This weekend work will affect various Greater Anglia passenger services between Westerfield and Oulton Broad South on the following weekends:

• Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April
• Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April
• Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April

A rail replacement bus service will be in place to allow passengers to complete their journey.

Only on April 27 and 28, buses will replace trains between Ipswich and Halesworth. Trains will still run between Halesworth and Lowestoft.

The remaining weekends will have rail replacement buses run between Lowestoft and Ipswich.

Rail replacement buses will depart from the bus stop on Chantry Rd (B1121), opposite Patmore Water Softeners building, instead of the railway station car park. 

Weekend passengers using Greater Anglia services are advised to leave extra time and check their weekend journey plans before travelling by visiting nationalrail.co.uk, or via your train operator, greateranglia.co.uk

Additional work will be taking place on the East Suffolk line at the end of May on Sunday 26 and on Monday 27 May (late May Bank Holiday) where bus replacement services will be in operation.

Mark Walker, Network Rail Anglia route infrastructure engineer, said: "These works are vital for the safe and smooth operation of our railway network and to support the transport strategy for the Sizewell C project to move construction materials by rail. Each improvement, inspection, survey, and maintenance task emphasises our commitment to passenger safety and helps us to provide efficient service for our passengers and freight operators. I’d like to thank all our customers for their patience during these essential tasks."

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “We would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while this essential maintenance is carried out. This work is extremely important to help maintain the safe and reliable running of the railway. A rail replacement service will run while the work takes place and passengers are advised to check before they travel and allow more time for their journey.”