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Tuesday 13 Oct 2026

Reminder: nine-day closure of Hertford East branch line starts this Saturday

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

From Saturday 17 October to Sunday 25 October, railway engineers will be replacing 1km of track that was severely flooded last year, helping to keep trains running safely and reliably for years to come.

While work takes place, no trains will serve Hertford East, Ware, St Margarets or Rye House stations, with rail replacement buses and ticket acceptance in operation.

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 also be working at St Margarets station. They’ll finish upgrading platform 1 and carry out essential maintenance on the footbridge so passengers can continue to travel safely and smoothly.

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, 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.

From Monday 19 October – Sunday 25 October, customers holding tickets to/from Hertford East, St Margarets, Ware and Rye House may also travel to/from Harlow Town and Roydon. During this period, trains that would normally run between Hertford East and London will instead start and finish at Broxbourne or Bishop’s Stortford.

The largest alternative car parks are at Broxbourne and Harlow Town. Roydon and Cheshunt have small car parks.

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

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 between London and Stansted Airport are strongly encouraged to take the train between King’s Cross and Cambridge, using ticket acceptance on Great Northern / Thameslink services, and then travel on the train between Cambridge and Stansted Airport

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.