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Tuesday 6 Oct 2020

Network Rail begins vital improvement work at Cuffley railway bridge

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Coast

Network Rail is advising drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in Cuffley that closures will be in place on Station Road over the next few months, as major work takes place on a £3.2million project to upgrade the railway bridge. 

Preparation work is being carried out on site this month before the project begins on Monday 2 November. The main part of the upgrade, to replace the steel bridge deck, will take place over the Christmas period.

The railway bridge carries the Hertford Line, known as the Hertford Loop, and it was built in 1907. The work is needed not only because of the age of the bridge, but also because it has been struck by high sided vehicles over the years, causing structural damage.

Network Rail engineers are carrying out improvements to the brickwork, re-waterproofing the bridge and removing the old bridge deck. The new, stronger deck will then be installed from underneath. These vital improvements, which are expected to be completed in February 2021, will make sure train services can continue running reliably for years to come.

This work will have no impact on train services. There will be some traffic restrictions on Station Road at the railway bridge and at a nearby compound on Cuffley Hill so the work can be carried out safely. These are:

• Traffic lights will be in place on Cuffley Hill until 16:00 on Friday 9 October.
• A partial closure on the part of Station Road which runs under the bridge from Monday 2 November until Friday 27 November. Traffic lights will be in place from 09:00 until 16:00, Monday to Friday. The road will be fully open outside of these times.
• Station Road will be closed at the railway bridge from 23:00 on Saturday 21 November until 06:00 on Monday 23 November.
• A full road closure under the bridge from 03:00 on Sunday 29 November until 06:00 on Monday 30 November.
• Station Road will be closed from 09:00 on Monday 14 December until 11:00 on Sunday 27 December. The closure will be extended to Cuffley Hill from 22:00 on Tuesday 22 December until 06:00 on Wednesday 23 December. The extension to Cuffley Hill will also be in place from 20:00 on Thursday 24 December until 11:00 on Sunday 27 December. 
• Three overnight road closures under the railway bridge on Saturday 9, Saturday 16 and Saturday 23 January.
• Traffic lights will be in place on Cuffley Hill from 09:00 on Monday 8 February until 16:00 on Friday 12 February.

During the times Station Road is closed, signposted diversions will be in place for drivers. Access will be maintained where possible for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists, and they will also be able to use the underpass at Cuffley station.

From Monday 23 November until Friday 29 January, there will be a small compound behind Cuffley station, which will take up some car parking spaces.

Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This work to upgrade the railway bridge near Cuffley station is vital so train services on the Hertford Loop, which connect communities into London and with the East Coast Main Line, can continue running reliably for future generations.

“We have carefully planned the project to keep disruption for people and businesses in Cuffley to a minimum and we’re sorry for any inconvenience the road closures cause.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said: “We are grateful to Network Rail for undertaking this vital work without disrupting train services, and welcome the long-term reliability benefits for our passengers. We thank passengers in advance for their patience during times when road access to and from the station will be affected.”

People can find out more about Network Rail’s ‘Wise Up, Size Up’ campaign to help combat bridge strikes using the following link: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/railway-safety-campaigns/wise-up-size-up/ 

ENDS