Improved reliability for c2c rail passengers

During the four-day Easter weekend, Network Rail continued work to upgrade the overhead wiring system on the c2c line between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, which will improve the reliability of train services for thousands of passengers.

The work is part of a four-year project that began at Easter last year.

The old wiring system is being replaced with a more-modern wiring system that better withstands the heat, and results in fewer delays for passengers caused by overhead wire issues.

The overhead wiring system on this line was installed between 1959 and 1962 when the line was first electrified.

Overhead wires are vulnerable to heat as, like all metals, they expand when the weather gets hot, causing the wires to sag.

That causes delays during the hot summer months as sagging wires can get caught on the pantographs of passing trains, which brings the wires down and results in long delays and cancellations.

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The new wiring system is designed to remain at the correct tension in all weathers and is generally a more reliable and sustainable system that will require less maintenance. This means less cost to the taxpayer and fewer delays to passengers using the line now and in the future.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “This work is essential to improve reliability on this line for the benefit of passengers, freight customers, and communities, for years to come. The Easter period has enabled us to complete a large chunk of this four-year project.”