October will see engineering work get underway on the Great Eastern main line and will bring disruption for passengers over some weekend services.
The engineering work will support the construction of the new Beaulieu Park station and will see preparation work carried out, which will enable infrastructure changes over the Christmas period. The planned work will also see essential maintenance work carried out on the railway.
The weekends which will be affected by the work this autumn are as follows:
- Sunday the 8th of October between Chelmsford and Witham between Chelmsford and Witham (more info below)
- Sunday the 15th of October between Chelmsford and Colchester
- Sunday the 22nd of October between Chelmsford and Witham
- Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th of October between Shenfield and Witham
- Saturday the 11th of November between Chelmsford and Witham
- Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of November between Shenfield and Witham
- Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of November between Shenfield and Witham (more info below)
- Saturday the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd of December between Chelmsford and Witham
- Saturday the 9th and Sunday the 10th of December between Chelmsford and Witham
Greater Anglia will be operating rail replacement buses however, they will have longer weekend journey times and due to this, passengers are advised to check travel plans ahead of making a journey, leaving plenty of extra time to complete their travel. Passengers can check their journey plans via the National Rail website or via the Greater Anglia's website.
Sunday the 8th of October:
Additional engineering work and vital maintenance will impact travel on this date as follows:
- Between Witham and Stratford – affecting the Elizabeth line and Greater Anglia Services and will see a rail replacement bus service in operation
- The central Elizabeth line will be closed with no services between Paddington and Shenfield or Abbey Wood.
- Elizabeth line services will be operating as usual between Paddington National Rail station and Heathrow/Reading. Passengers can use the TfL Go app or the TfL website to plan their travel.
Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of November:
- The central section of the Elizabeth line will be closed with services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield running to or from Liverpool Street National Rail Station.
- Passengers will need to use alternate routes with advice given to check travel plans ahead of making a journey.
Katie Frost, Network Rail's route director for Anglia, said:
“The construction of Beaulieu Park station is a major endeavour, and it is important to be able to build the new facility and infrastructure in a way that is safe for our engineers and construction staff.”
“This sometimes means that we have to stop trains running so that we can continue to build the new station safely and open it on time. While there is never a good time to close a railway, we have worked with Greater Anglia to minimise the disruption as much as possible.”
Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director, said:
“A huge amount of work goes into the construction of a new station, and unfortunately we are unable to run trains on part of the network while Network Rail access the site for the new Beaulieu Park railway station.”
“A rail replacement service will run while the work takes place and passengers are advised to check before they travel this autumn and allow more time for their journey.”
“We would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while this work is carried out.”
Howard Smith, Elizabeth line Director, said:
“I apologise for the disruption to Elizabeth line customers while these closures for vital maintenance work takes place. I advise customers to use alternative routes and plan journeys in advance using TfL travel tools, including the TfL Go app.”
