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Thursday 10 Sep 2026

Nine-day closure of Hertford East branch line for vital works following 2025 flood

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

This October, railway engineers will be replacing 1km of track in Hertfordshire that was severely flooded last year, helping to keep trains running safely and reliably for years to come.

These major works mean that there will be no trains from Hertford East, Ware, St Margarets and Rye House stations for nine straight days between Saturday 17 October and Sunday 25 October.

A burst Thames Water sewer pipe flooded the tracks through Rye House station in December 2025, closing the line for nearly a week while teams got control of the flooding and carried out a full clean-up operation.

Some repairs were made to the railway infrastructure at the time, but extensive work is now needed so the route is fit for the future. Engineers will be completely replacing 1km of rails, sleepers and ballast (the stones underneath the track). The new track is expected to last for more than half a century.

At the same time as the track replacement is taking place, engineers will use the opportunity to finish upgrading platform 1 at St Margarets station. Following ground stabilisation works earlier this year, the platform structure will be repaired during the October closure, followed by full resurfacing to help keep everyone’s journeys safe, smooth and accessible.

Martin Beable, Chief Operating Officer for GBR Anglia, said: “It’s essential that we replace the track through Rye House station following last year’s major floods on our infrastructure. There’s never a good time to close the railway, especially for an extended period like this, but this is a big job that we must get done to keep providing the best possible service on the Hertford East branch. We’re really sorry for the disruption, and advise that passengers start planning ahead if possible.”

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.

During the first weekend of the Hertford East line works, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, vital maintenance will additionally be taking place:

• on the main line between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport / Cambridge
• on the London Overground Weaver line between London Liverpool Street and Cheshunt

Teams will be delivering a range of upgrade works on these routes, including improving platforms at Cheshunt and Stansted Mountfitchet stations.

Journeys on Greater Anglia, Stansted Express and the Weaver line will be affected as below. Passengers should check before they travel at greateranglia.co.uk, stanstedexpress.com or tfl.gov.uk

On the Hertford East branch line

• Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October – buses replace trains between Hertford East and Waltham Cross
• Monday 19 October – Sunday 25 October – buses replace trains between Hertford East and Broxbourne

Throughout the period, Greater Anglia tickets will be valid on Great Northern services between Hertford North and Moorgate / London King’s Cross. There will also be ticket acceptance on the TfL Circle / Hammersmith & City / Metropolitan line between King’s Cross and Liverpool Street, and on the Victoria line between Tottenham Hale and King’s Cross.

Customers are strongly encouraged to use these alternative services with ticket acceptance, as the rail replacement buses to and from Hertford East have limited capacity.

On the main line between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport / Cambridge

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October

• Buses replace trains between Stansted Airport and Waltham Cross
• Trains will continue to operate between Cambridge and Stansted Airport as well as a very limited service between Waltham Cross and Stratford (half-hourly service only)
• Customers travelling to London are strongly encouraged to travel from Stansted Airport to Cambridge, and then transfer on to Great Northern / Thameslink services between Cambridge and London King’s Cross, where their Greater Anglia tickets will be accepted

On the London Overground Weaver line

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October

• No service between Edmonton Green and Cheshunt
• TfL rail replacement bus service L2 will serve the following stations: Enfield Town – Southbury – Turkey Street – Theobalds Grove – Waltham Cross – Cheshunt. Two L2 services will operate per hour.