Media centre

Tuesday 26 Sep 2023

Passengers are asked to check weekend travel plans this autumn when travelling between Colchester and London.

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

From October, railway engineering work is taking place on the Great Eastern main line to continue to construct the new station at Beaulieu Park affecting some weekend passenger services and undertake vital maintenance work.

This autumn, construction of Beaulieu Park station will continue as engineers prepare for major infrastructure changes planned over the Christmas holidays. The affected weekend dates this autumn are:

• Sunday 8 October 2023 (between Chelmsford and Witham)*
• Sunday 15 October 2023 (between Chelmsford to Colchester)
• Sunday 22 October 2023 (between Chelmsford and Witham)
• Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October 2023 (between Shenfield and Witham)
• Saturday 11 November (between Chelmsford and Witham)
• Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 November 2023 (between Shenfield and Witham)
• Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November 2023 (between Shenfield and Witham)**
• Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December 2023 (between Chelmsford and Witham)
• Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December 2023 (between Chelmsford and Witham)

Impact on train services

Passengers using Greater Anglia services will be able to use rail replacement bus services which will be in place but are likely to experience longer weekend journey times. Passengers are advised to allow extra time and check their weekend journey plans before travelling by visiting nationalrail.co.uk, or via your train operator, greateranglia.co.uk.

*On Sunday 8 October, there will be additional engineering and important maintenance work taking place between Witham and Stratford which will affect Elizabeth line and Greater Anglia services. A rail replacement bus service will be operating to allow passengers to complete their journeys. The central section of the Elizabeth line will also be closed, so there will be no service between Paddington and Shenfield or Abbey Wood on Sunday 8 October.

**On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November the central section of the Elizabeth line will be closed and services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield will run to/from Liverpool Street National Rail station. Passengers are advised to use alternative routes and check before they travel.

Katie Frost, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said:  “The construction of Beaulieu Park station is a major endeavour and it is important to be able to build the new facility and infrastructure in a way that is safe for our engineers and construction staff.    

“This sometimes means that we have to stop trains running so that we can continue to build the new station safety and open it on time. While there is never a good time to close a railway, we have worked with Greater Anglia to minimise the disruption as much as possible.” 

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director, said:  “A huge amount of work goes into the construction of a new station, and unfortunately we are unable to run trains on part of the network while Network Rail access the site for the new Beaulieu Park railway station.

“A rail replacement service will run while the work takes place and passengers are advised to check before they travel this autumn and allow more time for their journey.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while this work is carried out.”

Howard Smith, Elizabeth line Director, said: “I apologise for the disruption to Elizabeth line customers while these closures for vital maintenance work takes place. I advise customers to use alternative routes and plan journeys in advance using TfL travel tools including the TfL Go app.”