Rebecca Gough Rail passengers travelling on parts of the Norwich to Ely line will face replacement bus services this month as major repairs are carried out.

Rebecca Gough

Rail passengers travelling on parts of the Norwich to Ely line will face replacement bus services this month as major repairs are carried out.

Network rail will renew more than four miles of track at Thetford, Croxton, Spooner Row, Suton and Wymondham, as well as installing a new level crossing at Croxton.

As a result, the line between Norwich and Brandon will be closed on Saturday and Sunday and between Norwich and Thetford from Monday to Sunday, February 21, when buses will replace trains.

Passengers will also face further disruption later in February when the level crossing at Croxton, where the A1075 crosses the track, is removed and replaced with a Dutch system.

Buses will again replace trains between Norwich and Brandon on Saturday, February 27 and Sunday, February 28, and the A1075 will be closed from 1am on Friday, February 26 until 6pm on Monday, March 1.

The work comes as a result of an accident in 2006 when a train from Norwich to Cambridge carrying five staff and eight passengers derailed as it struck the rubber level crossing.

In 2009, Network Rail was fined �70,000 and ordered to pay �25,000 costs as a result of the crash. It pledged to install a concrete surface by April 2010.

The current rubber road panels will now be replaced with six pre-cast concrete slabs, each weighing 29 tonnes.

Network Rail said the track renewals will reduce the need for ongoing maintenance and the need for future inspections.

A spokesman added: “Over the next few years Network Rail is investing more than �1m for every mile of railway in the Anglia region.

“The track renewals taking place between Norwich and Thetford will mean smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers, whilst the upgraded crossing at Croxton will minimise the need for future disruptive maintenance.

“We thank rail and road users in advance for their patience while we carry out these important improvements.”