Passengers are able to use Greater Anglia services on the Hertford East line again following a thorough clean-up operation and repairs to the railway infrastructure.
The tracks at Rye House station were severely flooded on the afternoon of Wednesday 17 December because of a burst Thames Water sewer pipe nearby. Trains could not run through the station, so services between Broxbourne and Hertford East were suspended, with rail replacement buses and ticket acceptance on alternative routes being provided.
Over a number of days, Thames Water teams installed pumps and pipes to get control of the flooding and stop the flow into the surrounding areas.
After the water levels subsided, Thames Water completed a clean-up of the tracks and station area which included a full sanitisation process. Network Rail engineers replaced equipment that had been damaged by the flooding and carried out a wide range of checks on the track and signalling system so that trains could start running safely again.
Network Rail, Greater Anglia and Thames Water will continue to monitor the area closely and plan any further work that might be needed to keep trains running safely and reliably following the flooding.
Katie Frost, route director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “We are really sorry for the disruption to services while Thames Water tackled the flooding at Rye House. We then worked closely with Thames Water to get trains running again as quickly as possible. This was a complex situation, and we had to prioritise the safety of passengers, neighbours and our staff. Thank you for bearing with us while we worked to get things back to normal.”
Martin Beable, managing director for Greater Anglia, said: “We apologise for the disruption caused to customers by the flooding at Rye House, and we thank them for their patience while all the necessary clean-up works and repairs have taken place. We worked closely with Network Rail and Thames Water to restore the normal service as soon as possible. We are glad that following the hard work of all those involved, services are running again, and the full timetable has been restored.”
Train services across the country will stop running earlier than normal this evening, Christmas Eve, as usual. There will also be changes to services from Thursday 25 December to Sunday 4 January, as Network Rail carries out vital planned engineering work. Passengers should check before they travel at nationalrail.co.uk
Image credit: Network Rail
