NR rolls out Anglia reliability improvements

NETWORK Rail has announced a major package of improvement work across the Anglia Region.

The work is intended to increase reliability and reduce delays caused by signal failures, track and overhead wire faults, and will take place over the next six months at numerous locations in east London, Essex and Suffolk.

Improvements will include track renewal and resignalling on the Clacton branch during the autumn; track replacement at Somerleyton on the Norwich to Lowestoft line, between Colchester and Needham Market, on the Norwich-London main line; and almost four miles of track is currently being replaced around Elmswell, near Stowmarket, during weekend closures of the Ipswich to

Bury St Edmunds line.

Overhead wires will be replaced at Stratford over the Christmas holidays to reduce delays caused by the equipment expanding and sagging in hot weather, following similar work undertaken on the GEML at Maryland, Ilford and on the Shenfield to Southend Victoria branch in recent months.

Upgrades

Transport for London (TfL) will begin work simultaneously to lengthen platforms 16 and 17 at Liverpool Street to accommodate nine-car Class 345 EMUs. Crossrail preparation works will also continue, with station upgrades taking place at Ilford and Romford this autumn.

Greater Anglia is investing a further £3million to improve passenger and staff facilities at Ipswich station.

Work is underway to relocate the ticket office and toilets, creating space for a new shop, refurbished toilets and improved staff facilities.

The station will also be rewired and fitted with more energy efficient electrical equipment.

■ Traffic enforcement cameras are being installed at 13 high-risk level crossings in East Anglia.

The cameras identify vehicles that fail to stop at crossings when the warning lights are flashing red and capture this evidence to support legal action.

Offenders are then automatically notified, with punishments ranging from a driver’s awareness course to court action and prosecution depending on the severity of the incident.