Travel all the way into London by train from Essex this summer

Published on: Friday, 8 June 2018
Last updated: Friday, 8 June 2018

A run of summer weekends when it is possible to travel all the way into London by train from Essex starts next Saturday.

From Saturday 11 June it is possible to travel all the way to London by train from Clacton, Walton, Manningtree, Harwich, Braintree, Colchester, Chelmsford and stations in between, as Network Rail engineering works on the mainline is paused for the summer.

There are also no weekend engineering works on the Southend Victoria line.

In total there are nine summer weekends without any engineering works on the mainline into London.

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director said: “We want to make sure customers know when there isn’t engineering works on our lines so they can take advantage of faster travel into London by train.

“We know that the summer is a popular time for people to go to London for days out or for Londoners to visit our lovely East Anglian seaside towns, so that’s why less engineering work is carried out on the mainline over the summer.”

The Greater Anglia website has details of days out both in London and East Anglia, as well as a range of special offers, including two for one deals at attractions for people travelling by train.

Details of cheaper fares such as advance tickets, group save and other discounts are available online, with the Greater Anglia price promise offering the cheapest fare online or the company will refund the difference.

Engineering works in Essex resume on Sunday 12 August for one day only, when rail replacement buses will run between Ingatestone and Ipswich and Witham and Braintree.

The weekend of 18-19 August is then clear again of engineering works.

During the August Bank Holiday weekend, some parts of Essex are affected by engineering works, as Network Rail is due to carry out work between Witham and Ipswich and Marks Tey and Sudbury on Saturday 25 August, and between Chelmsford and Ipswich, Witham and Braintree, Marks Tey and Sudbury and Harwich and Manningtree on Sunday 26 August, and between Marks Tey and Sudbury and Witham and Ipswich on Monday 27 August. All other routes into London will be trains all the way.

Network Rail is carrying out improvements to the tracks and overhead wiring system as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan to reduce delays and improve journeys to and from London.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “We are carrying out vital upgrades across the Anglia region as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to modernise the railway and improve reliability.