Four ageing bridges on the London Overground’s Suffragette line between Leytonstone High Road and Woodgrange Park are being replaced
A London Overground line will shut for multiple weekends in 2027 while four railway bridges are replaced. Work will begin on replacing the crossings situated in the Forest Gate neighbourhood this autumn with drivers also facing disruption from road closures which will continue throughout the project.
Engineers will begin at the Talbot Road and Stracey Road bridges on September 1, before work begins at Strode Road and Latimer Road on September 28. These crossings are 130 years old and need to be replaced to avoid unplanned disruption in future, Network Rail said.
The new bridges, all situated on the London Overground’s Suffragette line between Leytonstone High Road and Woodgrange Park, are expected to last until around the year 2150. The first phase of the works will be to extend the support structures at the ends of the existing bridges so they can carry the new decks.
Following this, the demolition of the old bridge decks and installation of the new spans is set to be carried out in spring 2027, with the project to be completed by late summer 2027. Drop-in sessions have been planned at the Forest Gate Learning Zone in August so affected residents can ask the site team any questions they have about the closures.
Some other nearby roads will temporarily close during the project, although transport bosses have confirmed the Suffragette line on the London Overground will only shut during some weekends in 2027, with exact dates to be confirmed nearer the time.
Joe Kennedy, infrastructure director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “Thousands of people travel over these old bridges every day by train, passing through residential areas in East London.
“Our project will deliver four brand new bridges that will serve the surrounding community and rail passengers for several generations. We’re really sorry for the disruption and we’ll work very closely with residents and businesses to keep the impact to a minimum while we get the job done.”
Drop-in sessions will take place at the Forest Gate Learning Zone at 1 Woodford Road, London, E7 0DH on Thursday, August 6 between 10.30am and 1.30pm, and on Wednesday, August 12 from 5pm until 7.30pm. Attendees should use the entrance on the corner of Dames Road and Clinton Road.
Further updates will be provided as the works progress, with additional drop-in sessions also being arranged in the coming months, Network Rail added.
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