Extremely bad planning by Network Rail

[yorksrob]

Looking to travel between London and Norfolk on 21st September.

Line closed via Colchester. No worries - it's a Sunday works have to be done sometime. I'll go via Ely.

Low and behold, all routes are closed via Cambridge on the same day.

Who on earth decided that it was a good idea to close both routes into Anglia on the same day ?

What happened to the more customer focused Network Rail we were promised.

Let the excuses flow like wine....

 

[Harpo]

It’s only really Norwich that stands to benefit from a through route and the take-up for the diversion wouldn’t be great especially as it’s not a through train and connections have no guarantee.

 

[The Planner]

Looking to travel between London and Norfolk on 21st September.

Line closed via Colchester. No worries - it's a Sunday works have to be done sometime. I'll go via Ely.

Low and behold, all routes are closed via Cambridge on the same day.

Who on earth decided that it was a good idea to close both routes into Anglia on the same day ?

What happened to the more customer focused Network Rail we were promised.

Let the excuses flow like wine....

Are you going to take on board anything you are told if you were, or has your mind already been made up based on your last sentance?

 

[yorksrob]

Try me.

Given that there are 52 weekends in a year, I find it hard to believe there is a justification to have both planned to be closed on the same day.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2025 ==

It’s only really Norwich that stands to benefit from a through route and the take-up for the diversion wouldn’t be great especially as it’s not a through train and connections have no guarantee.

It's one of those occasions the railway might have squeezed an expensive flexible fare out of me. As it is, they'll lose money from me.

 

[renegademaster]

How much longer is the replacement bus service?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Peterborough-Norwich appears to be open on that day, so Norwich is not completely cut off - 2h55m from King's Cross.
Still faster on the Colchester route with the RRB to Stowmarket (2h32m).

 

[Watershed]

Yes, I've noticed the same for the first weekend in September. I'm sure Network Rail were aware of it, but I don't see how it's justifiable to close all three main routes into Anglia at the same time.

The worst part of all is that it's still possible to travel via Peterborough, and it's competitive in terms of journey time with the replacement buses. But of course it's not a permitted route so you have to pay a lot more for the privilege of a longer journey with one or two extra changes.

Only in the rail industry would this be considered an acceptable outcome.

 

[yorksrob]

How much longer is the replacement bus service?

The RRB between Colchester and Ipswich takes twice as long as the train does. Before you factor in getting on and off things, queuing for buses etc.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2025 ==

Peterborough-Norwich appears to be open on that day, so Norwich is not completely cut off - 2h55m from King's Cross.
Still faster on the Colchester route with the RRB to Stowmarket (2h32m).

I'd be tempted by that, it's just the cost will probably be astronomical. I'll look into it though. Cheers.

 

[saismee]

I made a similar post last night. People travelling from Ipswich and Manningtree to London in the morning have to travel to Stowmarket first to get their bus!!

 

[yorksrob]

This is one of those instances where Germany's "unlimited travel with your annual season ticket" type system would be an advantage.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2025 ==

I made a similar post last night. People travelling from Ipswich and Manningtree to London in the morning have to travel to Stowmarket first to get their bus!!

That sounds quite poor - they're not even bussing from Ipswich !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2025 ==

Yes, I've noticed the same for the first weekend in September. I'm sure Network Rail were aware of it, but I don't see how it's justifiable to close all three main routes into Anglia at the same time.

The worst part of all is that it's still possible to travel via Peterborough, and it's competitive in terms of journey time with the replacement buses. But of course it's not a permitted route so you have to pay a lot more for the privilege of a longer journey with one or two extra changes.

Only in the rail industry would this be considered an acceptable outcome.

I'm surprised its been allowed to be honest. I'd have thought "Thou shalt not close all routes into a region on the same weekend with planned engineering works" would be a relatively simple diktat to impose from top down. Isn't there some sort of similar arrangement on anglo-Scottish services ?

 

[Magdalia]

Low and behold, all routes are closed via Cambridge on the same day.

This is for critical engineering work relating to Cambridge resignalling and the new Cambridge South station.

There have been no closures for a while because of the huge London-Cambridge weekend flows, in both directions, in the summer months.

But now the engineers need access in the lead up to the final big engineering block at Christmas/New Year when the new signalling needs to be commissioned so that Cambridge South can open early in 2026.

All the key work is between Shepreth Branch Junction and Cambridge so both routes have to be closed.

 

[yorksrob]

This is for critical engineering work relating to Cambridge resignalling and the new Cambridge South station.

There have been no closures for a while because of the huge London-Cambridge weekend flows, in both directions, in the summer months.

But now the engineers need access in the lead up to the final big engineering block at Christmas/New Year when the new signalling needs to be commissioned so that Cambridge South can open early in 2026.

All the key work is between Shepreth Branch Junction and Cambridge so both routes have to be closed.

That's entirely understandable.

It's having Colchester at the same time though that's the issue.