Rail disruption for track replacements will affect passengers travelling through Norfolk and Suffolk on weekends during September and October, as Network Rail carries out track renewals and maintenance work.

Greater Anglia Class 755 train at Ipswich
A Greater Anglia Class 755 train at Ipswich. Archive photo. Photo: Vanmanyo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0

The programme will affect services between Norwich and Ipswich, along with trains using the East Suffolk line and the Felixstowe branch line. Because the work requires access to the railway while trains are not running, replacement buses will operate for affected Greater Anglia services.

At the High Green Road level crossing near Great Moulton in Norfolk, engineers will renew the track and improve the crossing surface to provide a smoother journey for rail passengers and road users. The road will be closed at the crossing while the work is carried out, with a diversion route in place.

Track replacements between Stowmarket and Diss

Another part of the programme covers the railway between Stowmarket and Diss, where around 0.9 miles (1.5km) of track that has been in service for 50 years will be replaced.

Ipswich station maintenance and passenger disruption

Maintenance around Ipswich station will also involve replacing old ballast, sleepers and rails.

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What changes for passengers

The disruption is concentrated on five periods. On 6 September and 4 October, buses will replace trains between Stowmarket and Ipswich, Halesworth and Ipswich, and Felixstowe and Ipswich. On 12–13 September and 19–20 September, replacement buses will operate between Norwich and Stowmarket. The same section will be affected again on 11 October. Greater Anglia also lists these engineering-work dates in its September and October service alterations, giving passengers specific weekends to check before making their journeys.

Martin Beable, chief operating officer for Great British Railways (GBR) Anglia, said:

“These works will help us keep running a safe and reliable service on these busy routes for years to come.”

Passengers are being advised to check their journeys before travelling on the weekends affected by the works.

Beable added:

“We’re sorry for the disruption but we need access to the track to get these vital jobs done.”

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