Disruption Ahead for Rail Passengers

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Upgrade work begins this April

Shepherd's Bush rail passengers will see service disruptions over the coming months as work continues to upgrade the network, Transport for London say.

The latest stage of the £326 million upgrade of London Overground will begin on 20 April and run until December 2009. During this period, the following services will be affected:

• There will also be no service on most Sundays between Shepherd's Bush and Willesden Junction. However a shuttle train service will run between Clapham Junction and Shepherd's Bush
  
• All peak time trains from Clapham Junction will now continue on to Stratford, instead of some terminating at Willesden Junction
  
• A reduction of one train per hour for passengers travelling between Richmond and Stratford during peak times. There will be four trains an hour again when the work finishes
  
• Passengers between Willesden Junction and Stratford will have six trains an hour at peak times calling at their station, which for many stations is an increased service
  
• On most Sundays, the Richmond to Stratford line will be closed but there will be a replacement bus service available

The work to be carried out includes replacing ageing signalling, communications systems (such as information boards for passengers) and track, as well extensive revamps of stations, and the introduction of brand new state-of-the art trains.

TfL London Rail's Chief Operating Officer, Howard Smith, asked passengers to be patient while the work was carried out: “We hope that passengers will bear with us while the upgrade is delivered,” he said.

“These are vital works to allow us to provide the benefits we promised to our passengers. This major investment now will result in a fantastic network well in time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

By 2011, there will be two trains every hour between Clapham Junction and Stratford all day and including weekends and there will also be two trains an hour, all day and including weekends, between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction.

25 March 2009