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Tuesday 23 Jan 2024

Essential weekend engineering work on the Great Eastern Main Line will take place this February to maintain reliability and safety

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

During four consecutive weekends in February, engineers will be working to maintain our infrastructure between Stratford, Shenfield, Billericay and Southend Victoria as well as weekend work at the site of the new Beaulieu Park station.

The work covers a range of activities including:

• Track maintenance including switches and crossings (movable sections of track that allow trains to change lines)
• Overhead line work between Ilford and Goodmayes
• Maintenance of a signal gantry between Bethnal Green and Stratford Bridge
• Inspection of culverts and structures between Forest Gate and Shenfield
• Replacement of footbridge steps at Ilford station for station users
• De-vegetation to manage leaf fall and reduce risk of damage to railway infrastructure from falling trees and branches.
• Removal of litter and graffiti to help maintain a clean environment and reduce risk of litter obstructing railway equipment.
• Platform canopy refurbishment at Burnham-on-Crouch and Wickford stations.
• Ballast management work between Billericay and Wickford, which helps prevent track misalignment by clearing debris like mud and leaves from the ballast.

Work will also continue to build the new station at Beaulieu Park station affecting services between Shenfield and Witham on the last two weekends of February.

These works are set to take place over the following weekends which will affect Greater Anglia and Elizabeth line services:

• Saturday 3 February and Sunday 4 February
• Saturday 10 February and Sunday 11 February
• Saturday 17 February and Sunday 18 February
• Saturday 24 February and Sunday 25 February

Elizabeth line passengers Liverpool Street to Shenfield

The Elizabeth line will not operate a train service every weekend in February between Stratford and Shenfield. Some weekend services will operate between Stratford and Liverpool Street Elizabeth line station via Whitechapel. Please note there will be no Elizabeth line service between Paddington and Abbey Wood/Shenfield on Sunday 18 February. 

Rail replacement bus services will be available from Stratford calling at all stations to Romford except Maryland. For the outer stations, passengers can change at Chadwell Heath for a bus beyond Romford including Gidea Park, Harold Wood, Brentwood and Shenfield. Passengers can also take the Central line to Newbury Park underground station and transfer to a rail replacement bus service for Chadwell Heath and change to a bus for the outer stations. Please check www.tfl.gov.uk or www.nationalrail.co.uk for details.

Greater Anglia passengers from Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Colchester Town:

On the first two weekends of February, Greater Anglia services from Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester Town and Colchester will terminate at Shenfield. On the last two weekends in February, rail services will terminate at Witham. 

A rail replacement buses will operate between:

• Ingatestone and Newbury Park underground station (first two weekends in February only),
• Witham and Newbury Park underground station (last two weekends in February only),
• Southend Victoria and Newbury Park underground station, calling at all stations between Southend Victoria and Shenfield, 
• Wickford and Southminster.

From Newbury Park underground station passengers are advised to use TfL Central line underground services to Stratford and London Liverpool Street.

Passengers are encouraged to continue to check journey plans via nationalrail.co.uk or via greateranglia.co.uk in advance and leave extra time if necessary to complete their journey.

Mark Walker, Network Rail Anglia route infrastructure engineer, said: "These works play an essential role to maintain the reliability and safety of our railway. Each improvement, inspection, survey, and maintenance task emphasise our commitment to passenger safety, and keeping our infrastructure in good condition on a heavily used part of the network into central London is very important. I’d like to thank all our customers for their patience while we carry out these essential tasks.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “This work is extremely important to help maintain the safe and reliable running of the railway and make it fit for the future.

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.

We would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while it is carried out.”