Work to repair the damage caused by a derailed freight wagon on the Gospel Oak to Barking line (on Thursday 23 January) has continued over the weekend.
The full extent of the damage is emerging but we have assessed that over a two and a half mile stretch, we need to replace:
- 39 new pieces of rail, 216m long each
- 5,300 concrete sleepers
- 900 wooden sleepers
- 10,000 tonnes of ballast needs to be removed and replaced after track relayed
- 10 longitudinal timbered bridges to have replacement custom-timbers installed
A full schedule of repairs is still being finalised but the complex work programme is expected to take a number of weeks with the line part-suspended.
Just after 6am on Thursday 23 January, a freight wagon derailed between Leyton Midland Road and Walthamstow Queens Road on the Gospel Oak to Barking line which has caused extensive damage. An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia said: “I’d like to say sorry to all our passengers whose journeys are disrupted by this incident. Our engineers will be working around the clock to get the line open as quickly as possible. I also want to thank our lineside neighbours for their patience while we carry out this important work and we will aim to keep disruption to a minimum.”
Travel Advice for Passengers
There is currently no London Overground service between Barking and South Tottenham. Passengers wishing to travel between Walthamstow Central and Barking are advised to continue to check the TfL Journey Planner before travelling. A rail replacement bus service has been provided between Walthamstow Central and Barking calling at Leyton Midland Road, Leytonstone High Road (Harrow Green), Wanstead Park and Woodgrange Park to allow passengers to complete their journey while repairs are underway.
Passengers can check before travelling by visiting tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey and https://www.nationalrail.co.uk for service updates.
