COMMUTERS are bracing themselves as part of the train line into London Liverpool Street is set to close for TEN days.

Trains will not run between Liverpool Street and Ingatestone from December 23 until January 1.

In addition, rail services will also not run on a number of weekends throughout October and November.

The closure will allow National Rail engineers to carry out multi-million pound work to install new overhead wires on the line at Ilford.

From October through December the workers will spend the equivalent of 20,000 hours replacing more than 10km of wires as part of a £250 million project to upgrade the system.

Throughout the ten day closure, a rail replacement bus service will run from Ingatestone to the London Underground Central line station Newbury Park.

Network Rail say the wires currently in place were installed in the 1950s and the system is currently one of the oldest in the country.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “While there will be short-term disruption, the benefits for passengers are real and will last for decades as modern, more reliable infrastructure is installed and preparations made for the introduction of news services and new trains on the Elizabeth line.”

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, added: “We will make sure that customers can complete their journeys during all periods of engineering works, even if part of it is by bus.

"Our rail replacement bus service operates very smoothly, with extra staff on hand to direct customers to the right bus.

"These works are crucial if we are to get the modern railway we need in East Anglia and combined with the new trains we’re getting to replace every single train on our network, should lead to a transformed railway for us all.”

The work begins on Saturday October 16, with weekends throughout October and some in November and December effected.

  • What will it mean?

Greater Anglia Saturday, October 21 to Sunday, October 22

A rail replacement bus service will run between Ingatestone/ Wickford and Newbury Park (London Underground) all weekend. Tickets will be accepted on the Central line from Newbury Park to/ from London Liverpool Street on both days. c2c ticket acceptance will also be offered on the Southend Branch Line.

Sunday, October 29

A rail replacement bus service will run between Ingatestone/ Billericay and Newbury Park (London Underground). Tickets will be accepted on the Central line from Newbury Park to/ from London Liverpool Street. Please note that trains will terminate at Shenfield for passengers for local stations, however London bound passengers should disembark at Ingatestone/ Billericay for bus to Newbury Park and onward travel to London.

Saturday, November 4 to Sunday November 5

A rail replacement bus service will run between Ingatestone/ Billericay and Newbury Park (London Underground).

Tickets will be accepted on the Central line from Newbury Park to/ from London Liverpool Street. c2c ticket acceptance will also be offered on the Southend Branch Line. Please note that trains will terminate at Shenfield for passengers for local stations, however London bound passengers should disembark at Ingatestone/ Billericay for bus to Newbury Park and onward travel to London.

On Sunday, until 1.30pm all trains terminating at Ingatestone and Billericay with onward travel by rail replacement to Newbury Park. After 1.30pm on Sunday trains will terminate at Shenfield for local passengers only.

Saturday, November 18

A rail replacement service will run between Ingatestone/ Billericay and Newbury Park (London Underground). Tickets will be accepted on the Central line from Newbury Park to/ from London Liverpool Street. Please note that trains will terminate at Shenfield for passengers for local stations, however London bound passengers should disembark at Ingatestone/ Billericay for bus to Newbury Park and onward travel to London.

Sunday, November 19

Until 11.25am, a rail replacement bus service will run between Colchester/Billericay and Newbury Park. A train shuttle service will operate on the Braintree and Sudbury Lines, connecting into rail replacement services to Newbury Park.

After 11.25am trains will resume from Colchester to Ingatestone and a rail replacement bus service will between Ingatestone/ Billericay and Newbury Park (London Underground).

Tickets will be accepted on the Central line from Newbury Park to/ from London Liverpool Street on both days. Please note that trains will terminate at Shenfield for passengers for local stations, however London bound passengers should disembark at Ingatestone/ Billericay for bus to Newbury Park and onward travel to London.

Christmas (December 23 - January 1) A rail replacement service will run between Ingatestone/ Billericay and Newbury Park (London Underground). Tickets will be accepted on the Central line from Newbury Park to/ from London Liverpool Street.