Services resume following major flooding and repairs at Rye House station

Train services on the Hertford East line have resumed after extensive repair and clean-up work following serious flooding at Rye House station. Passengers are once again able to travel on Greater Anglia services after days of disruption caused by damage to the railway infrastructure.

The incident occurred on Wednesday 17 December when a burst Thames Water sewer pipe led to severe flooding at Rye House. Water inundated the tracks and station area, forcing the suspension of all services between Broxbourne and Hertford East. During the closure, rail replacement buses were put in place and tickets were accepted on alternative routes to help passengers complete their journeys.

Thames Water teams spent several days on site installing pumps and temporary pipework to control the flow of water and prevent further flooding in the surrounding area. Once water levels were brought down, a comprehensive clean-up operation was carried out, including full sanitisation of the tracks and station environment.

Network Rail engineers then replaced equipment damaged by the flooding and carried out detailed inspections and testing of the track and signalling systems to ensure the line was safe for trains to return. With these checks completed, services were able to restart and the normal timetable has now been restored.

All three organisations involved say the site will continue to be closely monitored, with further work planned if required to maintain safe and reliable operations.

Katie Frost, route director for Network Rail Anglia, said:

“We are really sorry for the disruption to services while Thames Water tackled the flooding at Rye House. We then worked closely with Thames Water to get trains running again as quickly as possible. This was a complex situation, and we had to prioritise the safety of passengers, neighbours and our staff. Thank you for bearing with us while we worked to get things back to normal.”

Martin Beable, managing director for Greater Anglia, said:

“We apologise for the disruption caused to customers by the flooding at Rye House, and we thank them for their patience while all the necessary clean-up works and repairs have taken place. We worked closely with Network Rail and Thames Water to restore the normal service as soon as possible. We are glad that following the hard work of all those involved, services are running again, and the full timetable has been restored.”

Image: Network Rail