Passengers travelling through Ely this spring will soon benefit from smoother journeys as essential weekend engineering work to improve reliability takes place on one of the busiest parts of the region’s rail network.
From Saturday 25 April, engineers will renew almost 1,000 yards of track, replace six sets of points (the movable sections of track that allow trains to switch between lines) and renew old sleepers and ballast (the stones that support the track) in the vicinity of Ely station.
The railway through Ely is very busy and sees a lot of heavy freight which can quickly wear the rails. Renewing the rails, track base and points will help maintain a safe, reliable railway for all services passing through Ely station and reduce the chance of unplanned disruption that can lead to delays and cancellations.
The track work at Ely will take place on the following weekends:
- Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
- From Saturday 2 May to Monday 4 May (bank holiday weekend).
- Saturday 9 May and Sunday 10 May.
- Saturday 16 May and Sunday 17 May.
Two further Sundays in late June will be used to complete the work and check the track has bedded in correctly using tamping machines that re-pack the ballast under the sleepers.
- Sunday 21 June.
- Sunday 28 June.
Passengers using Greater Anglia, East Midlands, Great Northern and CrossCountry services on these dates are being advised to check before travelling and to leave extra time to complete their journey.
Martin Beable on behalf of Greater Anglia and Network Rail said: “This work is essential to keeping our services running smoothly through what’s an extremely busy junction at Ely, and support the punctual, reliable service our passengers expect.
“A rail replacement service will run while the work takes place, so we’re encouraging passengers to check before they travel and allow more time for their journey.
“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while this work is carried out.”
Jenny Saunders, customer service director for Great Northern, commented: “We’re sorry for this disruption, which is essential to maintaining and safe and reliable service. With buses replacing trains between Cambridge and King’s Lynn, it’s vital that passengers plan ahead at nationalrail.co.uk and allow plenty of extra time.”
Image credit: Network Rail
