Service changes as Anglia soil dries out in the heat

Network Rail has issued the following press release about timetable changes affecting Great Northern services on the line between Kings Lynn and Ely.

From Monday 3 August, there will be timetable changes on the line to and from King’s Lynn, and extra late night engineering works on other Anglia routes, as track is again affected by hot weather and sustained low rainfall.

Following England’s warmest spring on record and hot summer so far, the peat and clay that sits under long stretches of the railway on Anglia has dried out and shrunk. This has caused the track to drop in places and become uneven.

In response to uneven track, Network Rail applies speed restrictions where necessary to keep everyone moving safely, smoothly and reliably. These speed restrictions will need to be in place until the ground conditions have recovered, which can take some time. Since trains have to run more slowly, an amended timetable can sometimes be put in place to give passengers more certainty about services and reduce the risk of short-notice disruption.

Speed restrictions applied to Great Northern services between Ely and King’s Lynn from 3 August mean that trains will arrive at King's Lynn four minutes later than normal and depart four minutes earlier. One train in each direction will be withdrawn or amended on weekdays, and there will be additional changes at the weekend. Some trains will also need to run with fewer carriages as the speed restrictions affect how trains and drivers can be planned across the route. Full details of the timetable changes are available on the Great Northern website

Network Rail engineers reduce the effects of dried-out soil by using machines called tampers to lift the track, push stone ballast underneath and create a solid foundation so that trains can run smoothly. New ballast is also put down to help raise the level of the track.

Last year, engineers treated around 100km of track on Anglia using tampers to help tackle the effects of dried-out soil. Ahead of this summer season, teams have already dropped thousands of tonnes of ballast to help keep the track as smooth as possible, with 49,000 tonnes expected to be dropped during 2026 in total.

On the Fen Line, Network Rail will be carrying out this track treatment work between Ely and King’s Lynn late at night between Monday 10 – Thursday 13 August and between Monday 21 – Thursday 24 September. Buses will replace late night trains on these days.

[BELOW] Video explainer – why timetable changes are needed on the line to and from King’s Lynn

Meanwhile, extra engineering work to treat dried-out soil will also affect some other Anglia routes late at night and very early in the morning on Mondays – Thursdays from 3 August:

• Greater Anglia. The London Liverpool Street – Southend Victoria and Wickford – Southminster routes, with changes to some services from 22:45 onwards including buses replacing some trains. On Thursdays only, after 23:30, some services on the London to Colchester route will have journey times extended by up to 6 minutes.
• c2c. Some changes to late night services.
• Elizabeth line. A reduced service will operate between Gidea Park and Shenfield from 23:00 to midnight on certain dates.

These changes to Greater Anglia, c2c and Elizabeth line services will start appearing in journey planners from next week, and passengers are advised to check before they travel at greateranglia.co.uk, c2c-online.co.uk and tfl.gov.uk

Network Rail Anglia will be closely monitoring track conditions across the region, with further speed restrictions potentially being needed in the coming weeks to keep services running smoothly. Any additional service alterations will be advised in advance. Network Rail’s extra late night engineering works will continue to be planned as necessary to help improve track conditions.

Joe Kennedy, Infrastructure Director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “We’re taking action to keep running the best possible service despite the significant challenges we’re again facing this summer with our peat and clay soils. Our teams across Anglia will continue to work hard to minimise the impact on passengers, but we’re really sorry for the disruption caused by the service changes. Thank you to everyone for bearing with us.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Service Director for Great Northern, said: “We know many passengers will feel disappointed by further timetable changes after the challenges experienced on this route in recent weeks. I am sincerely sorry for the impact this will have on your journey; we do not take that inconvenience lightly.

“These necessary speed restrictions mean we need to make temporary changes to the timetable between King’s Lynn and Cambridge from 3 August. While we regret having to make these changes, they are necessary to help prevent delays building up throughout the day and to provide a more reliable service.

“Our teams will continue working closely with Network Rail to minimise the impact and return to the normal timetable as soon as conditions allow. Online journey planners and our website have been updated with the revised train times, and passengers are encouraged to check before they travel as services will operate differently from the usual timetable.”

ENDS