I've been sent a couple of emails from TfL and London Overground about works taking place over Christmas that might affect constituents. I've pasted the relevant bits below.
London Overground
Sunday 23 – Monday 1 January
No service between Romford and Upminster due to engineering works
For Romford to Upminster, the 370 bus calls at all stations on the line and will be in operation over the Christmas and New Year period, apart from Christmas Day.
TfL - Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) works
We continue to work towards the launch of the Elizabeth line. Seven of the new, fully accessible trains are now in passenger service. Following the resolution of some initial performance issues - which are to be expected with the introduction of brand new fleet- the trains will continue to be gradually introduced into passenger service on the route.
Customers are able to see the station improvement work taking shape and can look forward to step-free access from street to platform for the first time at most of the stations when these works complete in 2018 (Ilford and Romford stations will become step-free in 2019).
On 27 November, a timetable change was implemented and customers now benefit from extra weekday peak services and early Saturday morning services, with other train times amended, meaning shorter waiting times between services for most customers. The Crossrail project is more than 85% complete and we look forward to the launch of Elizabeth line services in December 2018.
Christmas Track closures
As part of ongoing preparation for the launch of Elizabeth line services, TfL and Network Rail will undertake significant work over the Christmas period to replace overhead wires and to improve stations along the TfL Rail route. This includes providing step-free access, the refurbishment of station buildings and the installation of new customer information systems.
As previously advised, there will be no service on the entire line from Saturday 23 December until Monday 1 January. Rail replacement buses will run (except from 23:00 on Christmas Eve and all day on Christmas Day and Boxing Day), connecting with the Central line at Newbury Park and Stratford stations. The services are:
Stratford - Romford
Stratford - Forest Gate - Manor Park - Ilford - Seven Kings - Goodmayes - Chadwell Heath - Romford
Newbury Park - Shenfield
Newbury Park (for the Central line) - Chadwell Heath - Romford - Gidea Park - Harold Wood - Brentwood - Shenfield
Newbury Park main car park will also be closed from Saturday 23 December until Monday 1 January to allow Greater Anglia and TfL Rail replacement buses to run. Customers are advised to avoid driving to Newbury Park.
Network Rail’s Crossrail works between Liverpool Street and Shenfield continue to make steady progress. Three new lifts are being built to provide future step-free access at Harold Wood and a new footbridge with increased capacity has been installed. The majority of their station improvement work is expected to be complete by late Spring 2018. The current focus is a 10 week programme of work to remodel the train sidings at Gidea Park to accommodate the new Elizabeth line trains. This work is underway and expected to complete in the first quarter of 2018.
At both Romford and Ilford, Network Rail has progressed the design work. The intention is for a contractor to be in place and site mobilisation to be underway by mid-2018. Work is planned to complete by the end of 2019 when the Elizabeth line fully opens. For further information on the Network Rail station works please [email protected] or 03457 11 4141.
