Because of the continuing hot weather and lack of rain, from Monday, 3rd August, there will be changes to the times of trains to King’s Lynn, and extra engineering works late at night on other routes in East Anglia.

The changes are being introduced because in large parts of East Anglia, the peat and clay on which the railway is laid has dried out and shrunk, causing the track to drop and become uneven in several locations.

To counter the effect of dried-out soil, Network Rail engineers use machines called tampers to lift the track and push extra ballast underneath, thereby creating a solid foundation for the trains.

Speed restrictions will be imposed where there is uneven track, and will remain in place until ground conditions recover, which will inevitably take some time. To provide more certainty about services and reduce the chance of services being disrupted at short notice, train timetables are being amended.

From 3rd August, Great Northern services between Ely and King’s Lynn will be subject to speed restrictions, with trains departing from King’s Lynn four minutes earlier than currently, and arriving four minutes later. In addition, on weekdays, one train in each direction will be withdrawn or amended, with additional changes at weekends. Full details of the effect on services can be found on the Great Northern website.

Service changes will also be made on other routes to enable engineers to treat dried-out soil.

• From Mondays to Thursdays from 3rd August, Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria, and on the Wickford and Southminster routes, will be amended from 22:45 onwards, with buses replacing some trains.
• On Thursdays, Greater Anglia services after 23:30 on the London to Colchester route will take up to 6 minutes longer.
• There will be some changes to c2c late-night services, and some Elizabeth line services between Gidea Park and Shenfield from 23:00 to midnight.

On the Fen Line between Ely and King’s Lynn, from Monday, 10th to Thursday, 13th August, and from Monday, 21st to Thursday, 24th September, late-night services will be replaced by buses whilst Network Rail engineers treat the drying out of the track.

Other train operators are also being affected by the continuing hot weather, including Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Railway.

“We’re taking action to keep running the best possible service despite the significant challenges we’re again facing this summer with our peat and clay soils. Our teams across Anglia will continue to work hard to minimise the impact on passengers, but we’re really sorry for the disruption caused by the service changes. Thank you to everyone for bearing with us.”

Joe Kennedy, Infrastructure Director, Network Rail Anglia