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Friday 29 Jan 2021

Update: Rail line to reopen on Monday following emergency works at Ingatestone

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Emergency works to stabilise the embankment at Ingatestone on the Great Eastern Main Line will continue this weekend and the rail line is expected to fully reopen to services on Monday 1 February.

On Friday 22 January, the embankment became unstable, causing a dip in the tracks on one of the lines. Network Rail’s engineers have been working around the clock to make repairs in order to reopen the closed line once it is safe to do so. A reduced service will continue running throughout the rest of today (Friday 29 January).

This weekend, a rail replacement service will be in place between Witham and Newbury Park for the Central Line as part of planned engineering works to upgrade the overhead wiring system at Stratford. A rail replacement service will also run between Witham and Shenfield for journeys to / from the Southend Victoria line and TfL stations beyond Shenfield.

Passengers are advised to check Greater Anglia’s website or app for the latest travel information. Passengers should also follow government advice and only travel for work if essential or for other legally permitted reasons.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We’ve worked non-stop since last Friday to safely reopen the line as quickly as possible. I’m sorry that journeys have been disrupted.

“I know that this work has also been disruptive for those living nearby and I’d like to thank everyone for their patience. I’d like to say a special thank you to everyone who has worked with us to give us access to the site.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director said: “We’re sorry that customers have been inconvenienced by disruption caused by the landslip at Ingatestone and we’d like to thank them for their patience while safety work has been carried out.

“Anyone who has been delayed as a result may be able to claim delay repay compensation, more details are here: greateranglia.co.uk/delayrepay”

Notes to editors:

Passengers are advised to check www.greateranglia.co.uk for the latest travel information. Passengers should also follow government advice and only travel for work if essential or for other legally permitted reasons.