Engineering work timings

When we plan engineering works, we look at the big picture. We consider how our decisions affect passengers, freight services, industry revenue, and the wider economy. Travel patterns have changed significantly in recent years, so we pay close attention to how and when people are travelling. We work with Train Operating Companies to make sure our plans make sense locally as well as nationally.

We try to spread work throughout the year to make the best use of our teams and machinery, and we aim to find the quietest times on the network for works to minimise disruption. For example, Bank Holidays are often chosen for major works because, on most routes, they’re quieter than weekdays. In fact, while Bank Holidays make up about 5% of the year, we deliver 7–9% of our total enhancements and renewals during these periods.

Not all engineering works are the same. Most of the time, we do our work in short bursts – usually overnight or in the early hours of Sunday mornings – when the railway is quieter. But sometimes, bigger jobs like replacing track or bridges, or installing new electrification or signalling, need longer closures. The biggest projects might even need several days or weeks.

We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Sometimes, closing the railway on a weekday makes sense, especially if it means less overall disruption. We also plan works around major sporting and cultural events where possible, and we’re always open to feedback from local stakeholders. As a publicly funded organisation, we have to balance value for money with the impact on passengers.

Travel habits have shifted, especially since COVID-19. Remote and hybrid working mean there’s a lot of variation across the country. Mondays and Fridays have seen drops in peak travel, and on some lines, mid-week is busiest. On others, Saturday leads, especially where leisure travel dominates.

Freight is also a big part of the picture, with more traffic on weekdays. As freight patterns change, we’re keeping an eye on how that affects when we can do engineering work.

Even though leisure travel is up, weekdays are still the busiest times on the network, and commuting brings in more revenue than leisure journeys. We know not everyone can work from home – key workers, students, and many others still rely on the railway every weekday.

We’ve spent a lot of time listening to passengers and business groups to understand what matters most to them when it comes to engineering work timings. The feedback is nuanced – there’s no single answer that suits everyone.

• Passengers and stakeholders are split on whether it’s better to do works at weekends or during the week, or whether it’s less disruptive to have one long closure or several shorter ones. What’s clear, though, is that the reliability of replacement services and the quality of our communication are the most important factors in making engineering works acceptable.
• Passengers want as much advance notice as possible, and they want to know exactly how their journeys will be affected. Business groups have told us they’d like to partner with us to help raise awareness of upcoming disruption.
• Passengers consistently say they prefer engineering works to take place overnight, after 10pm, when fewer people are travelling.
• Diversionary train services are strongly preferred over replacement buses. There’s a lack of confidence among the public in rail replacement buses, and a strong preference for keeping rail journeys as seamless as possible.
• Some passenger groups have also told us that, if closures are needed, it’s better for them to be slightly longer and completed in one go, rather than risking repeated short closures if work overruns. Businesses agree, saying that longer, one-off closures allow them to plan better and put contingency arrangements in place.
• We are encouraged to work more closely with organisations like Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) and event organisers, so we can better understand and minimise the impacts of works on the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries.

We know that the impact of engineering works goes beyond just the railway itself. There are wider economic and social effects that we need to consider:

• Disrupting the leisure market can have knock-on effects for the wider economy, such as lost revenue for events, tourist attractions, and local businesses.
• Lineside neighbours are particularly affected by the noise and disruption from engineering works and one of our highest causes of complaint from lineside neighbours is insufficient notice of works.
• Engineering works are just one form of disruption passengers experience, alongside industrial action or extreme weather. What might seem like a short closure to us can feel like yet another inconvenience to passengers, especially if it comes on top of other issues.
• Freight is another key consideration. The timing of works can have a big impact on the movement of goods, especially at peak times like the run-up to Christmas. Disrupting rail freight can lead to more goods being moved by road, which increases congestion and environmental impact. Freight is also essential for moving construction materials to and from worksites, which we factor into our planning.

We’re committed to making engineering work less disruptive for passengers, businesses, freight users, and the wider community. Here’s what we’ll do:

• We’ll provide as much advance notice as possible – usually at least four months – once we know the exact impact of works on services.
• We’ll communicate clearly about why works are happening and why they’re essential for the safe and efficient running of the railway.
• We’ll offer alternative travel arrangements wherever possible, including diversionary train routes or replacement buses.
• We’ll make sure there’s always a rail route open between key destinations for the majority of passengers and freight users, even when major works are taking place.
• We will give lineside neighbours as much notice as possible of planned works and keep disruption and noise to a minimum. We will encourage lineside neighbours to sign up to our digital notification service.
• We’ll plan multiple works together, including on adjacent routes, to minimise disruption and reduce costs. For example, our North West & Central region has combined separate works into single, longer closures, saving around £75 million per year in lost passenger revenue.
• Where possible, we’ll combine smaller jobs into one larger closure, so the railway is out of action for less time overall. While this can be more disruptive in the short term, it reduces the total time the railway is closed and allows work to be done more efficiently.

We believe that a reformed, more integrated railway will help us deliver engineering works with less disruption in the future. Here’s how:

• Integration will make it easier to spot opportunities for delivering work with less overall impact, and to identify diversionary routes. It will also help us understand the knock-on effects of works on other routes and the wider economy.
• We’re already making progress by introducing rail integration ahead of full reform. In some areas, Network Rail and train operators are working together to adjust off-peak timetables, allowing daytime maintenance when passenger numbers are lower.
• Rail integration means having a single Managing Director and Executive Team responsible for both track and train, so decisions can be made in the best interests of passengers, businesses, freight users, and the public, rather than being held back by conflicting incentives.
• Integration will allow us to complete work faster by removing duplication of processes and enabling a system-wide view of operational decisions.

How we time engineering works affects more than just the railway – it impacts passengers, businesses, freight users and the wider community. We’re committed to working with operators, passenger representative bodies and community and business groups to minimise disruption, keep everyone informed, and keep improving how we do things.

We’ll keep listening and learning and continuing to gather feedback via stakeholder roundtables and passenger surveys. We will use this to assess whether our commitments and the changes to be delivered through rail reform are reducing disruption from engineering works and making them easier for passengers and stakeholders to navigate. Your views will help us refine our approach and make sure we’re delivering the best possible outcomes for all.