Passengers and service-users on the East Suffolk Line are set to benefit from engineering works that will fix a deteriorating embankment, Network Rail has announced.
The work will take place over 13 consecutive days between the 25th of March and the 6th of April and is needed because the top of the mile-long embankment is slipping away, meaning that important infrastructure like signalling equipment and signage is gradually falling further and further down the bank – endangering both the safety and reliability of the line.
As part of the maintenance and since there is no walkaway, Network Rail will widen the embankment to allow engineers to safely carry out the work. Completion of these renovations will also allow for the replacement of the trainline which is due for upgrades but cannot happen until the embankment is stabilised.
Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, Jamie Burles, said: “This improvement work will help make trains even more punctual along the East Suffolk Line. Our new trains are already providing a very good service on the route and this engineering work will help ensure we can continue to deliver high standards of performance on a consistent basis and provide a more comfortable journey for passengers.”
Replacement buses will run in lieu of trains between Ipswich and Saxmundham during the works apart from on the 30th of March and the 1st of April when industrial action will mean there will be neither trains nor buses on the East Suffolk Line.
Network Rail’s Anglia Route Infrastructure Engineer, Mark Walker, added: “I want to thank everyone for their patience during the recent weekend closures, and I’m sorry that passengers will now face an extended stretch of bus replacement. However, the major work on this steep, high embankment is a vital part of making the East Suffolk Line fit for the future. It will help us avoid sudden disruption or closures, and pave the way for more much-needed track replacement.”
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