Media centre

Tuesday 21 May 2019

Passengers advised to check before they travel ahead of Spring bank holiday

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

As people prepare for the bank holiday getaway, Network Rail is advising passengers to plan their journeys in advance of the weekend.

Work will be taking place across the Anglia route during the bank holiday weekend which includes:

• Renewing switches and crossings – movable sections of rail that guide trains from one track to another - and track maintenance between Ipswich and Norwich/Bury St Edmunds
• Upgrading the track, switches and crossings at Stowmarket
• Track renewals at East Suffolk– increasing the reliability, safety and performance of the crossovers
• Making significant capacity improvements on the Felixstowe branch line to allow more container traffic to move on the line each day to and from the port of Felixstowe
• TfL will be carrying out extensive overhead line renewals and signalling work between Barking and Purfleet that will enable future services to run as part of the Barking Riverside extension project.

 

The bank holiday will also mark the start of a nine-day closure of the railway line between Southend Victoria and Wickford to replace overhead wires and structures from 25 May to 2 June (inclusive), with train services replaced by buses. The route between Wickford and Southminster will remain open and will be served by trains.

Customers are advised to make alternative travel arrangements as there will only be a limited rail replacement bus service and a revised train service between Wickford and London Liverpool Street.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “We recognise there is never an ideal time to shut the railway for our must-do work, but bank holidays are the least disruptive time to do it, when fewer passengers use the railway compared to the working week.

“We can do the maximum amount of work while impacting the fewest number of people. Sometimes a closure is the only way we can carry out major work like replacing track or improvements to overhead electric lines. We always work closely with train companies to minimise disruption.

“While a lot of the network will be open, if you are thinking about travelling, please plan ahead by checking with your train operator or visiting the National Rail Enquiries website.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “Together with Network Rail, we’re transforming the railway in East Anglia, to make it more reliable. We apologise to customers inconvenienced by this work and thank them for their continuing patience.

“We’d advise customers to check before they travel on our website or app to find out details of revised timetables and rail replacements.”

Passengers are advised to check their journey with their train operator or www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling.

Rail replacement bus services will operate on some routes to allow passengers to complete their journeys while these works are taking place.