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Monday 6 Aug 2018

Major track upgrade for Norwich to London passengers this August bank holiday and Autumn

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

Vital track improvements will take place between Manningtree and Witham this August bank holiday weekend and over the Autumn months, to improve reliability for thousands of passengers using main line services every day.

Over the three-day bank holiday weekend, Network Rail’s engineers will:

• Install 120 metres of track, one set of points and one new buffer stop at Colchester station
• Replace 1,200 tons of ballast at Colchester
• Install nearly 3km of track between Manningtree and Ardleigh on the mainline

Rail replacement buses will run between Ipswich and Ingatestone while the work is carried out.

In addition, work will take place between Ipswich and Felixstowe as part of a £60.4m programme to transform the single-track Felixstowe branch line, by installing 1.4km track loop near Trimley station. This additional track will allow the line to operate more effectively, giving the flexibility needed to run more freight trains, as well as improve the reliability of existing passenger services. This project began in April and will take place most weekends until autumn 2019. A rail replacement service will operate.

Further closures will take place between Colchester and Ingatestone after the August bank holiday to renew the track. During weekends in September and October, buses will regularly replace trains between Ingatestone and Marks Tey, Colchester or Ipswich, and between Witham and Braintree (though a normal service will operate on the last Saturday in September, most Saturdays in October and the penultimate Sunday in October).

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “We are carrying out  a vast amount of work this bank holiday and over the Autumn months to make crucial improvements to rail services as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan. I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work is carried out and advise passengers to check how their journey might be affected before they travel.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “This engineering work is vital so that together Network Rail and Greater Anglia can run a modern and reliable railway. We’re both investing in East Anglia to provide a railway fit for future generations and to support communities and the economy. I know customers prefer to stay on the train for whole of their journey, but I’d like to reassure people that they will still be able to complete their journeys, even if part of it is by bus.”

Passengers can check how their journeys will be affected at www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.greateranglia.co.uk

 

Notes to editors

Further upgrades will take place throughout the Autumn to help further improve train service performance.  These works will affect services on 8 Saturdays and 11 Sundays on both the Great Eastern Main Line and the Witham to Braintree line.  Details of the dates affected are as follows:

Saturdays - 1, 8, 15, 22  September,  13 October, 3, 17, 24 November

Sundays - 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 September 7, 14, 28 October, 4, 18, 25 November

Most dates will affect all customers on the Great Eastern Main Line travelling to/from stations north of Ingatestone. However, the works on 13, 14 and 28 October only affect customers travelling to/from stations north of Ipswich.

Full details of the locations affected on each of the dates are as follows :

	Main line	Braintree branch line
Saturday 1 September	Marks Tey to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Sunday 2 September	Ipswich to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Saturday 8 September	Marks Tey to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Sunday 9 September	Colchester to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Saturday 15 September	Marks Tey to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Sunday 16 September	Colchester to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Saturday 22 September	Marks Tey to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Sunday 23 September	Colchester to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Saturday 29 September
Sunday 30 September	Colchester to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Saturday 6 October
Sunday 7 October	Ipswich to Ingatestone	Rail replacement Braintree to Witham
Saturday 13 October	Norwich to Ipswich
Sunday 14 October	Norwich to Ipswich
Saturday 21 October
Sunday 22 October
Saturday 27 October
Sunday 28 October	Norwich to Ipswich
Saturday 3 November	Ingatestone to London Liverpool Street
Sunday 4 November	Colchester to London Liverpool Street
Saturday 17 November	Ingatestone to London Liverpool Street
Sunday 18 November	Ingatestone to London Liverpool Street
Saturday 24 November	Ingatestone to London Liverpool Street
Sunday 25 November	Ingatestone to London Liverpool Street

There are no planned service alterations on Saturdays 29 September, 6, 20, 27 October, 11 November or Sundays 21 October and 11 November.

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