District Line & Silverlink closures could mean holiday disruption
No tube or rail services from Richmond over Easter period
Network Rail, the company that owns and maintains the District line track between Turnham Green and Richmond, has announced their intention to close the line for nine days from 1st April 2006 for necessary engineering improvements aimed at delivering increased reliability of services.
The closure means that there will be no District line service between Turnham Green and Richmond until 10th April 2006.
The nine-day closure will enable the replacement of the 40-year old track, points and crossing at Gunnersbury Junction.
Work will also be carried out to renew the signalling and to remove graffiti and litter.
The closure coincides with the Easter school holiday when passenger demand is lower.
Bob Thorogood, General Manager, District line, said "Once the work is complete, District line customers travelling between Richmond and Turnham Green should notice a smoother, more reliable journey that is less prone to disruption - especially due to track and signal failure.
"During the closure, valid LU tickets will be accepted on South West Train services between Richmond and Waterloo and frequent rail replacement bus services will be in operation.
"LU District line services that would normally terminate at Richmond will instead terminate at Ealing Broadway during off-peak periods and at Wimbledon and Ealing Broadway during the morning and evening peak."
Two rail replacement bus services will also operate throughout the nine day closure:
- Service A: Richmond - Botanic Gardens - Gunnersbury - Turnham Green. Buses will run empty to Stamford Brook with mobility impaired customers on request
- Service B: Richmond - Botanic Gardens - Gunnersbury - Chiswick Park - South Acton - Acton Town - Acton Central - extended to Willesden Junction on 1 / 2 April 2006
There will also be some further early morning Sunday possessions to complete the work on 16, 23, 30 April and 28 May 2006.
This will mean the cancellation of the first ten District line trains in and out of the Richmond branch on Sunday morning on these dates.
Jon Wiseman, Network Rail Route Director, said: "This major investment at Gunnersbury Junction is essential to ensure the future reliability of this busy stretch of railway. The temporary closure of the line will allow our engineers to work around the clock to get this complex programme of work done as quickly and efficiently as possible."
Silverlink services will also be distrupted over exactly the same period. Between 1st April and 9th April (inclusive - 9 consecutive days) the line between South Acton and Richmond will be closed due to major engineering and track replacement work to be carried out by Network Rail.
For the first weekend (1st/2nd April) the line is also closed between Willesden Junction and Richmond. Buses will replace trains for the duration of the engineering work. The buses will operate at the same frequency as trains and call at Richmond, Kew Gardens, Gunnersbury, Chiswick Park Underground Station and South Acton. They will also call at Acton Town Underground Station after stopping at South Acton, for additional connections.
Passengers should note that there will be a short walk between the bus stops and South Acton and Kew Gardens stations. Tickets between Kew Gardens Gunnersbury and South Acton and Central London (e.g. Zone 123 Travelcard Seasons etc) will also be accepted on South West Trains between Richmond and London Waterloo for customers wishing to use this as an alternative route.
March 29, 2006