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Thursday 8 May 2025

Work to boost track reliability on the Mildmay line to affect train services in early summer

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Passengers are being asked to check for planned weekend closures on the London Overground Mildmay line, which runs between Stratford and Richmond/Clapham Junction.

These closures will allow Network Rail to replace a total of 1170 metres of worn-out track. Engineers will start their work on a section of the line between Stratford and Homerton stations, where the existing concrete sleepers are around 50-years-old. The sleepers need to be replaced to reduce the chance of faults that could cause delays to passengers.

The second location is between Willesden Junction and Acton, where the ground underneath the track is currently saturated, potentially causing a bumpy ride for passengers and an increased likelihood of service disruption in future. Engineers will dig into the ground and create a more solid foundation for the track, before adding new ballast, sleepers and rails.

Elsewhere on the line, Network Rail will take the chance to replace 100 wooden sleepers and carry out 65 smaller infrastructure improvements.

Simon Milburn, infrastructure director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “The Mildmay line is intensively used by both passenger and freight services, so we need our track to be in the best possible condition. We know that weekend closures can be frustrating for people, but our work this summer is essential to keep trains running safely and reliably in the years to come.”

Rory O’Neill, TfL’s General Manager for London Overground, said: “This maintenance work is vital to ensure we can continue to operate the most reliable possible service for customers. I would like to apologise to our customers for the disruption these works may cause and ask them to check before they travel and allow a little extra time to complete their journeys.”

The closures on the Mildmay line to carry out these engineering works will be as follows:

• Sunday 11 May: no service between Camden Road and Stratford
• Saturday 24 May – Monday 26 May (bank holiday weekend): no service between Camden Road and Stratford
• Saturday 31 May – Sunday 1 June: no service between Camden Road and Stratford
• Saturday 7 June – Sunday 8 June: no service between Camden Road and Stratford
• Sunday 15 June: no service between Gospel Oak and Richmond/Shepherd’s Bush
• Sunday 22 June: no service between Gospel Oak and Richmond/Shepherd’s Bush
• Sunday 29 June: no service between Gospel Oak and Richmond/Shepherd’s Bush
• Sunday 6 July: no service between Camden Road and Stratford
• Sunday 13 July: no service between Willesden Junction and Richmond

Check tfl.gov.uk for details of rail replacement buses and alternative travel plans.

During this period:

• There will also be a closure between Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction on Sunday 25 May, and between Willesden Junction and Shepherd’s Bush on Sunday 8 June.
• On Sunday 11 May, Saturday 24 May 2025 – Monday 26 May, Saturday 31 May – Sunday 1 June, Saturday 7 June – Sunday 8 June and Sunday 6 July, no Greater Anglia services will operate between Meridian Water and Stratford. There will also be changes to services that normally operate between Bishop’s Stortford / Hertford East and Stratford, with trains instead running to and from Liverpool Street on certain days. Passengers should check before they travel at greateranglia.co.uk