Gospel Oak to Barking line reopens on 27 February but more disruption is on the cards after work wasn’t completed on time
Good news: the London Overground line between Gospel Oak and Barking will reopen to passengers on Monday 27 February.
Bad news: despite a phased eight-month closure, the work hasn't been finished on time and more needs to be done.
Work began on the £130m upgrade in June 2016. Along the 14-mile route, a number of the structures carrying the overhead lines were incorrectly designed and couldn't be installed at the planned locations. Further delays have been caused due to late delivery of materials and structures.
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Network Rail said the work won't affect the reopening of the line to diesel trains as planned, on the 27 February. But it's drumming up "a robust plan" to complete the work before new electric trains arrive in early next year. So further closures will be required over a series of weekends and will likely involve another full closure for a period later in the year.
A schedule is currently being finalised so stay tuned for an update on when to brace yourselves for more disruption.
(Source: Network Rail)
Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, Richard Schofield, said:
I sincerely apologise to passengers that we have not been able to complete all of the work in the time we set out, and for the future disruption we will cause to their journeys.
I have instructed the project team to quickly deliver a robust plan to finish the work before new trains arrive next year, and passengers can be reassured that the line will reopen later this month to diesel trains as planned.
A full review into what went wrong has already begun.
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And Transport for London (TfL), which is funding the project along with the Department for Transport (DfT), isn't happy.
Jonathan Fox, TfL's director of London rail, said: "We are extremely disappointed and will be seeking compensation from Network Rail. We were not made aware of these significant problems with the work until very recently and Londoners can be assured that we are pressing Network Rail for an urgent plan that explains exactly how this vital project will be delivered on time and with the absolute minimum further disruption to our customers."
The upgrade will enable four carriage trains, which are currently being built by Bombardier, to operate along the route from early 2018, doubling capacity and replacing the existing two carriage diesel trains.
Network Rail said that costs are always under review, but it believes the project will be delivered within the original budget, despite the delays.