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Improvement work for rail passengers in Southend restarts from Saturday 25th January between Southend Victoria and Shenfield.
Network Rail is replacing the overhead wires with an auto-tension system which adapts to temperature changes. This work is part of a £46m project to improve the reliability of services.
The winter weekends phase of works is due to complete by the end of March, two months earlier than originally planned.
This final phase of weekend works starts the weekend of 25-26 January and continues each weekend until 28-29 March, apart from 8/9 February when there is no work.
Following this, there will be one further weekend of works over the weekend of 18-19 April when the track ballast will be replaced
While the works are being carried out, buses will replace trains.
What did the officials say?
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail route director, Anglia, said:
“We're now in the final stages of this vital work to improve rail services in Southend which will result in fewer delays and cancellations for our passengers. As with all large-scale projects this has taken time to complete and I'd like to thank passengers for their continued patience while we carry out these upgrades.”
Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said:
“We'd like to thank our customers for their continued patience with these works. It's been a major project, which has involved a great deal of inconvenience to our customers, but it is now nearly finished.
“With brand new overhead wires, which are much more robust in varying weather conditions, and new trains, which will come into passenger service from this spring, we will have a railway fit for the 21st century on the Southend Victoria line.”
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As Network Rail have finished replacing the overhead wiring renewals at Wickford at Christmas 2019. Now they need to do Southend Airport-Southend Victoria with replacing the last remaining 1950s overhead wires including at Prittlewell.
As they done Billericay, Rayleigh, Hockley and Rochford.