Network Rail has begun a £46 million project to renew the overhead lines on the Southend Victoria branch line.
More than a kilometre of new OLE wire has been installed between Shenfield and Billericay. In total, Network Rail will have replaced 128km of overhead line by the end of the year.
The renewal will improve reliability on the line, reducing the number of failures caused by the ageing OLE infrastructure.
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The overhead lines on the Southend Victoria branch line are some of the oldest in the country and speed restrictions are a common occurrence in hot weather.
Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, said: “We recognise the issues our Southend passengers face in summer when services are delayed because of sagging overhead wires.
“We’re installing a new overhead wiring system to improve the reliability of train services as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan and we’ve fast-tracked the work so passengers can start seeing the benefits as soon as possible.”
New overhead wires on the Southend Victoria Line means that there will be less disruptions and the new overhead wires are designed to taut during hot weather conditions including heatwaves and even cold weather and ice that these new overhead wires will have less problems with. About time that new overhead wires are to be installed on the Southend Victoria Line. Hopefully it should be completed mid-late next year as Network Rail have promised to improve the railways across the East of England over the upcoming years.