Network Rail's been in touch with news of disruption to Great Easter Main Line services this weekend as emergency works take place on the embankment at Ingatestone. The embankment has become unstable, causing a dip in the tracks on the line out of London towards Norwich. The line from Norwich into London is still open and is being closely monitored. This means that a reduced service is running on the main line and branch line services to Clacton, Braintree, Southend, Colchester Town and Harwich are also affected.
The following information has been sent to those living near the track:
"Dear lineside neighbour,
Emergency embankment works at Ingatestone
I’m writing to inform you that we’ve started emergency work near your property. Our engineers have advised that the railway embankment behind Mountney Close has become unstable, causing a dip in the London to Norwich track which had to be closed from Thursday 21 January as a safety precaution. The Norwich to London track is still open and the embankment is being closely monitored for safety by our geotechnical engineers.
To restore normal services as quickly as possible and keep the area safe, we’ll be working 24 hours a day to make a permanent repair using over 1000 tonnes of stone. This will be followed by laying topsoil and realigning the track. We aim to complete repairs before the start of service on Tuesday 26 January but the work may continue later into the week if our engineers need extra time to finish it safely.
We’ll be accessing the work site through the playing field between Heybridge Road and the end of Mountney Close near the play area. A temporary road mat will be laid across the field and part of our fence will be removed so staff, equipment and vehicles can move along the embankment to a site near 46-52 Mountney Close. Site staff will supervise the safe movement of lorries and equipment through the area. We’ll need to clear some trees and vegetation along our land to safely bring the materials and equipment to site. Small cabins with staff welfare facilities will also be set up on the hard standing near the play area.
Our team will use a variety of equipment, including generators, lighting, power tools, dumper trucks, diggers and engineering trains. As a result, some disturbance is unavoidable, but every effort will be made to minimise any unnecessary noise and those working on site will be briefed on working responsibly in the local community. The work will be carried out on our behalf by J Murphy and Sons Ltd who share our commitment to working in a Covid-secure way. The site team have been briefed on the need for social distancing around neighbours.
We appreciate many neighbours will be spending more time beside us than expected this year. I’m sorry for any disturbance and being unable to provide more notice of this activity due to the urgency of the situation. I hope this information is helpful and if you have any questions or concerns, please telephone our 24-Hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or visit www.networkrail.co.uk/contactus."
Photo Credit: Network Rail