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Thursday 6 Mar 2025

Vital rail works around Chelmsford, Colchester and Marks Tey to affect weekend train services later this spring

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Passengers are being advised to check before they travel between London and Norwich in late March, April and early May, as weekend services will be affected by works to keep the railway running safely and reliably in future. The engineering work will also mean changes to services on the Sudbury and Braintree lines.

Network Rail needs access to the railway during these weekends to deliver a range of crucial works, including:

• Replacing old and worn-out points just outside Chelmsford and Marks Tey stations. The new points will be built on modern concrete sleepers, which are more durable than the current wooden ones. Engineers will also replace more than 280 metres of straight track across both sites, with new rails, ballast and sleepers going in.
• Removing points which have been taken out of use near to the new Beaulieu Park station, which is currently being built. These points are no longer needed because of changes to the track layout for the construction of the new station, and they have already been taken off the signalling system. Engineers will replace the old points with brand new straight track to help keep everyone safe and reduce the need for future maintenance.
• Stabilising an embankment which carries part of the line between Marks Tey and Colchester stations. To do this, engineers will drive soil nails into the embankment.

All this work is crucial to keeping trains on time and reducing the chance of unplanned disruption that could cause major delays to passengers.

Greater Anglia train services will be affected by the work on the following dates:

• Sunday 30 March
• Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 April
• Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 April
• Sunday 20 April and Monday 21 April (Easter Monday)
• Sunday 4 May
• Sunday 11 May

On these dates, buses replace trains between Colchester and Billericay, Sudbury and Marks Tey, and Braintree and Witham. Trains will continue to operate between Norwich / Ipswich / Clacton-on-Sea and Colchester, as well between Southend Victoria/Billericay and London Liverpool Street. Passengers should check before they travel at greateranglia.co.uk

Network Rail has launched a free email service providing up-to-date information about railway maintenance, upgrades and emergency work to residents living within 500 metres of the track. People in East Anglia can now sign up to the service at networkrail.co.uk/railworknearme

Simon Milburn, infrastructure director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “We’re sorry for the disruption, but we really need to get out on track and get these jobs done. All this work is crucial and will help us to deliver the most reliable possible service to passengers along our key London-Norwich route and its branch lines.”

Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, said: “This is a very busy part of our network, and it’s vital that this work is carried out to maintain high punctuality and reliability standards, while also making the railway fit for the future.

“We would like to thank passengers in advance for their understanding while this work is carried out.”