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Thursday 10 Sep 2026

Extra engineering works on the Southminster branch line this weekend

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Rail passengers are advised to check before they travel between Southminster and Wickford this weekend, 12 and 13 September, as GBR Anglia carries out essential works to improve the quality of the track.

Following the country’s hottest summer on record, the clay that sits under long stretches of the railway in Essex has dried out and shrunk, causing issues with the track condition. Even though some rain has started to fall recently, this doesn’t mean the ground will immediately return to normal. In fact, as the clay reabsorbs water it can expand unevenly, causing further ground movement that can affect the track.

To keep everyone moving safely and reliably, trains are currently running at slower speeds along the Southminster branch, with an amended timetable in place to provide more certainty and reduce the risk of short-notice disruption.

This weekend, railway engineers will be working to help restore the normal timetable as soon as possible. They will be using machines called tampers to lift the track, push stone ballast underneath and create a solid foundation so that trains can run smoothly. Although the Southminster line has recently been closed for an extended period for repairs following the Wickford derailment and planned upgrades, the ground conditions affecting the railway have changed since then, requiring additional engineering work.

The work this weekend can’t be done while trains are running, so rail replacement buses will operate between Wickford and Southminster on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. Buses will serve all stations on the line apart from Battlesbridge, with the timings starting to appear in journey planners from today.

Extra engineering work to tackle the effects of dried-out clay on the Southminster line has also been taking place late at night and early in the mornings this week. This will continue tonight, meaning that the following services will be replaced by buses:

• Thursday 10 September, 23:00 Wickford to Southminster
• Friday 11 September, 05:15 Wickford to Southminster
• Friday 11 September, 06:05 Southminster to Wickford

In total, 20km of track needs to be treated along the route during this period. Further updates on the Southminster line will be provided in due course.

The current amended timetables on the Southend Victoria line and c2c route, also recently introduced in response to dried-out clay, will remain in place as previously advised. Engineers are continuing to monitor track conditions across the region, with further service alterations potentially being needed in the coming weeks to keep trains running safely, smoothly and reliably.

Passengers are advised to check greateranglia.co.uk and c2c-online.co.uk for the latest service information.

Martin Beable, Chief Operating Officer for GBR Anglia, said: “We’re really sorry for the short-notice, continued disruption on the Southminster line, but these are essential works that we must get done to keep running a safe railway that passengers can depend on. I’d like to thank everyone for bearing with us while we continue to deal with the impact of this summer’s exceptionally hot, dry weather.”

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.