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Monday 29 Feb 2016

Orange army makes good progress on Essex railway upgrade

Region & Route:

| Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

| Southern

Network Rail’s orange army has been out in force over the last four weekends in Essex to carry out work as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan to deliver a more reliable railway and to prepare the line for Crossrail.

The work has included the installation of a new footbridge at Harold Wood and new overhead lines installed along the route and platform extensions at a number of stations on the Crossrail route.

During the first weekend new overhead lines were installed around Brentwood station to improve the reliability of train services for passengers. The new wiring sees an end to speed restrictions imposed during summer months when fixed wires can expand and sag in the heat.

The second weekend saw a brand new footbridge installed at Harold Wood for the Crossrail programme, along with work at Shenfield to construct foundation bases for overhead line structures. Structures were also installed between Seven Kings and Goodmayes to carry overhead wires.

In the third and fourth weekends, work continued to extend platforms at Romford, Gidea Park and Brentwood stations to prepare for Crossrail trains and overhead line works took place at Shenfield. Structures were installed at Goodmayes to carry overhead wires.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re almost halfway through our programme and I’d like to thank passengers for their patience at the weekends while these works are taking place to upgrade the railway in Essex. I understand that closing the railway can be inconvenient, but it is important that we carry out these upgrades to bring much needed improvements for passengers.”

The works are set to continue for a further six weekends. For the next four weeks, no train services will operate between London Liverpool Street and Ingatestone or Wickford. An Abellio Greater Anglia bus replacement service will be operating between Ingatestone/Wickford calling at Newbury Park for the Central line.

TfL Rail will also be operating a bus replacement service between Stratford and Shenfield, additionally calling at Newbury Park.

During the final two weekends, Abellio Greater Anglia rail replacement services will instead operate from both Chelmsford and Witham to Billericay where passengers can change for train services to and from London.

TfL Rail replacement services will operate between Gidea Park and Shenfield on the first of the two weekends, and all TfL Rail services will re-open for the final weekend.

Passengers are advised to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk