Engineers have completed track and station improvement works on the c2c route to help boost reliability and the passenger experience.
Over a series of weekends in November and December, Network Rail replaced more than 3,800 metres of worn-out rail between Leigh-on-Sea and Southend Central stations. Having first been installed in 1967 and 1968, the old rail needed to be replaced to minimise the chance of defects that can cause delays. The newly-installed rail is expected to last for another 50 years.
Engineers also fixed faulty drainage pipes alongside the platforms at Chalkwell station. If the pipes had not been fixed, excess water could have affected the quality of the track, potentially causing a bumpy ride and the need for speed restrictions on trains.
At the same time, c2c engineers and station colleagues took the chance to carry out essential improvement works at key locations across the network, including Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea and Westcliff.
These delivered vital upgrades which are crucial to maintaining the safety and efficiency for c2c customers across the route.
Most c2c services will be running normally over Christmas and New Year, but there will be earlier last train times on Christmas Eve, no trains on Christmas Day or Boxing Day and other timetable changes. Find out more here.
Laura McEwen, Operations and Engineering Director for c2c, said, “We appreciate that for customers these works have caused disruption, but the benefit is projected to last for another five decades and ensure the safety of our railway for all.
“While Network Rail caried out the work, we made the most of the time to carry out a huge variety of improvements. These encompassed everything from cutting back trees in customer car parks, painting ticket halls, resurfacing platforms and ensuring the structural durability of station canopies.
“Some of these will of course be more apparent to customers than others, but we hope that this work behind the scenes gives our passengers confidence that we are using our resources as wisely as possible.”
Simon Milburn, infrastructure director for Network Rail Anglia, said, “Our work over November and December was vital to keeping trains running safely and reliably in future. Thank you to c2c passengers for bearing with us while our engineers got out on track and got these jobs done.”
Image credits: c2c and Network Rail
