Media centre

Monday 3 Aug 2020

Vital railway upgrade works taking place over August Bank Holiday

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Passengers are advised to check how their journey might be affected when vital rail upgrades take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend to improve reliability of services. 

Network Rail’s engineers will carry out a programme of upgrades and maintenance work across the region to reduce the number of delays and cancellations and to keep tracks and equipment in safe and reliable condition.

Passengers are advised to check their journey before travelling as some services will be affected over various days across the weekend bank holiday including:

• Kings Lynn: Friday 28 to Monday 31 August- engineers at King’s Lynn will be working on a new siding as part of the King’s Lynn capacity enhancement scheme. For four days, Kings Lynn services will start/terminate at Downham Market with bus replacement services running to Watlington and King’s Lynn.
• East Tilbury: Saturday 29 to Monday 31 August. - overhead wire upgrades  to reduce the number of delays owing to overhead line issues.
• Norwich to Lowestoft: Saturday 29 to Sunday 30 August - track maintenance work at Cantley to reduce the number of track faults.
• Ipswich to Norwich / Bury St Edmunds: Sunday 30 to Monday 31 August - renewing over half a mile of track at Needham Market, track maintenance, drainage works, overhead wire and structure works to improve reliability. 
• Clapton and Tottenham: Sunday 30 August – track maintenance work to improve reliability of the track. 

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We’re carrying out essential upgrades and maintenance to our tracks and equipment to ultimately reduce the number of delays and cancellations to passengers’ journeys. Anyone travelling over the Bank Holiday weekend should check how their journey could be affected.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, said: “The bank holiday weekend engineering work is essential to help us provide more punctual services. We are running additional rail replacement buses to ensure customers can maintain social distancing. Customers should wear face covering when on our stations, trains and rail replacement buses, unless they are exempt from doing so."

“Customers should check before they travel and allow more time for their journeys while the work is taking place. We would like to thank them for their patience and understanding and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Passengers should check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk or with their train operator.