Media centre

Friday 13 Jun 2025

Wymondham subway construction to affect rail services from Saturday 5 July to Monday 7 July inclusive

Region & Route:

Eastern: Anglia

Work on the line between Norwich and Ely will mean rail replacement buses on three consecutive days, including throughout Monday 7 July.

Housing developers Taylor Wimpey and Vistry are constructing a brand new subway under the railway to improve access to Wymondham town centre. The works are being carried out as part of the planned growth in South Wymondham, and will significantly enhance walking and cycling routes to the rail station and town centre.

The new subway for pedestrians and cyclists will be located next to the Station Road railway bridge. It will allow the existing footpath under the bridge to be removed, helping to enhance traffic flows for motorists.

Engineers will be delivering a key phase of construction over the three days. After temporarily removing the railway tracks and excavating the earth underneath, they will use a crane to lift in several concrete subway sections, each of which weighs around 28 tonnes.

Trains won’t be able to run during these works, affecting passengers travelling on the Greater Anglia route between Norwich and Cambridge / Stansted Airport, as well as the East Midlands Railway route between Norwich and Nottingham / Liverpool Lime Street.

On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July:

• Greater Anglia will run a stopping bus replacement service between Norwich and Ely. Trains will continue to run between Ely and Cambridge / Stansted Airport.
• East Midlands Railway will run a direct bus replacement service between Norwich and Peterborough. An amended train service will run between Ely and Liverpool Lime Street.

On Monday 7 July:

• Greater Anglia will run a stopping bus replacement service between Norwich and Thetford, with a train service resuming between Thetford and Cambridge / Stansted Airport.
• East Midlands Railway will run a direct bus replacement service between Norwich and Peterborough. An amended train service will run between Ely and Liverpool Lime Street.

Greater Anglia and East Midlands Railway passengers are advised to check before they travel at nationalrail.co.uk, greateranglia.co.uk or eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

While trains are not running, Network Rail will be carrying out signalling and maintenance works elsewhere along the line, helping to improve the reliability and performance of future train services.

This phase of the Wymondham subway construction works will also require a full road closure of Station Road, from 30 June – 27 July. Vehicle and pedestrian diversion routes with full signage will be put in place on behalf of Taylor Wimpey and Vistry. The road closure is needed so that additional concrete subway sections can be lifted in on the south side of the railway.

Taylor Wimpey and Vistry are being supported in the construction of the subway by Network Rail’s specialist asset protection team, which supervises any works being carried out by external organisations on or near the railway. This is to help keep everyone safe, as well as protecting the rail infrastructure while projects are being completed.

The subway is expected to open in autumn 2026.

David Kang Gil, head of asset protection at Network Rail Anglia, said: “We support external projects that will benefit our local communities wherever we can, and the new subway will make a real difference to Wymondham. We’re really sorry that passengers will face disruption in July, including on a working day, but it’s fundamental to allow this scheme to move forward.”

Andrew Goodrum, Infrastructure & Major Projects Director at Greater Anglia, said: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the service alterations, and we urge passengers to check before they travel.”

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Experience Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We would like to thank customers for their patience while these important works take place. We are advising customers to check how the rail replacement bus service might impact the length of time needed to complete their journey. More information is available on our website.”

Andrew Wright, acting head of technical and planning at Taylor Wimpey East Anglia, said: “The new subway at Wymondham will benefit so many people in and around the area. We are grateful to the team at Network Rail Anglia for supporting us to ensure that the works to the subway are efficiently progressed. We look forward to the subway being completed and opened to the public later next year.”

Verity Macey, Managing Director at Vistry Central Home Counties, which is building new homes under its Bovis Homes brand at Birch Gate in Wymondham, said: “We’d like to thank everybody affected by these works for their patience while this key phase of construction is carried out. Once complete, the new subway will considerably enhance accessibility from Wymondham town centre to the train station for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, facilitating huge improvements for the wider community.”