Network Rail has released a further update on the repair work taking place on the Gospel Oak to Barking line after the derailment of a freight train.
Work to repair the damage caused by accident on the line is progressing well and a completion date is expected to be confirmed next week.
More than two and a half miles of the railway line between Barking and South Tottenham was damaged in the incident.
Engineers are now nearly halfway through the repairs.
The programme of repairs includes replacing 39 pieces of rail, 5300 concrete sleepers, 900 wooden sleepers. In addition, they need to remove and replace 10,000 tonnes of ballast during the track replacement and replace custom-timbers at ten bridges.
The line will remain part-suspended while the sophisticated work programme takes place.
On Thursday 23 January, a freight wagon derailed between Leyton Midland Road and Walthamstow Queens Road which caused the damage. An investigation into the derailment near Barking is still ongoing.
There is no London Overground service between Barking and South Tottenham. A rail replacement bus service has been provided between Walthamstow Central and Barking calling at Leyton Midland Road, Leytonstone High Road (Harrow Green), Wanstead Park and Woodgrange Park to allow passengers to complete their journey.
Passengers can check before travelling by visiting tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey
What did the officials say?
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail's route director for Anglia said:
“Our engineers are working as quickly as possible to reopen the line to minimise the disruption this incident is causing and work is progressing well. I'd like to say sorry to our passengers and lineside neighbours and thank them for their patience while the work is ongoing.”
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Looks more like metal fatigue and rotten sleepers, from the initial pictures, caused the derailment. How could a slow moving freight train derailing damage 2.5 miles of track? At least it wasn’t a passenger train.
A very expensive derailment indeed. It will be interesting to see the breakdown of costs between NR and the train operator when investigation of cause is complete, plus the “other operator” add-ons & bus replacement costs.
Well done Network Rail orange army crew. Keep on going. Despite the weather is turning nasty because of Storm Ciara making landfall on Sunday.