WORK TO build a 1.4km-long loop near Trimley station on the Felixstowe branch has begun.
The £60.4 million scheme will allow up to 10 additional freight trains in each direction to run to and from the Port of Felixstowe. The loop will be located between Trimley station and Grimston Lane foot crossing, and the work will also see four level crossings upgraded to obstacle detection (OD) technology (these are at Morston Hall, Thorpe Lane, Levington and Westerfield station). Network Rail has applied for separate powers to close six level crossings in the Trimley area and build a new bridleway bridge, and this is subject to a public enquiry determination expected in autumn 2018.
There is work on most weekends until autumn 2019, with buses replacing trains on the branch on Saturday evenings and all day on Sundays. Hutchison Ports was originally granted powers to build a second track for 7km along the branch, and NR has taken on these powers from the port to begin the works.
