Residents warned of noisy works ahead on railway
❝ We hope you’ll agree that this will bring lasting improvements to Bristol’s railway, benefiting passengers for future generations
NEIGHBOURS living near the railway line in Bristol have been warned of “noisy” overnight works for the next few weekends.
A multi-million pound project to upgrade the Bristol East junction near Temple Meads, allowing passage for more trains to and from the station, was completed last month after a lengthy programme of works.
Network Rail has posted a note through neighbours’ doors thanking them for their patience during the “huge upgrades”, but advising that there are still follow-up works coming up until mid December.
It shared dates for the next series of works, all of which are due to take place overnight - starting from Saturday, October 9, and ending on Halloween, October 31.
The note states: “We’ve completed all planned work to replace the track and components with a new layout and more modern equipment.
“We hope you’ll agree that this will bring lasting improvements to Bristol’s railway, benefiting passengers for future generations.
“With the core work completed, we can now carry out follow-up work. This will include moving materials and equipment off-site, removing the temporary lighting at Bedminster station, and dismantling the compound in Brislington.
“We’ll be working periodically until Sunday, December 19, but much of this work shouldn’t offer much disruption.”
The work expected to cause disruption is taking place overnight and at weekends for safety reasons, Network Rail advised.
It advised residents: “We’ll need to use a specialist train to compact the track’s supporting stones, which will be noisy at times, but is an essential part of making sure the railway stays resilient.
“We’ll continue to keep any unnecessary noise to a minimum wherever possible, but want to apologise in advance if we disturb you.”
The times listed, subject to change, were:
» Between 11pm on Saturday, October 9 and 10.15am on Sunday, October 10
» Between 11.30pm on Saturday, October 16 and 10.15am on Sunday, October 17
» Between 11pm on Saturday, October 23 and 8.15am on Sunday, October 24 » Between 1am and 6am on Saturday, October 31
The note clarified: “We’ll be working at various locations across a large area so won’t be working outside your home each shift.”
Anyone with concerns about the disruption can reach out to Network Rail’s helpline.
The works on the track are part of the wider transformation of Temple Meads, including a new entrance and improvements to accommodate more passengers.