Greater Anglia warns rail line at Haddiscoe, between Norwich and Lowestoft, will shut due to flood risk and be replaced by buses

A flood warning has meant rail service on a section of the line between Lowestoft and Norwich will be temporarily suspended later this week.

Greater Anglia has revealed that from 9pm tomorrow to about midday on Friday, a section of the line near Haddiscoe will shut, and services will be replaced by buses.

The firm, alongside National Rail, took the decision after advice from the Environment Agency owing to a chance of flooding around the village.

The same location was heavily waterlogged in January 2022, which resulted in the rail line becoming heavily damaged.

It closed for a week after the incident.

As a result of the closures, the final service from Norwich to Lowestoft tomorrow will be at 8.05pm, and 8.57pm for the other direction.

On Friday, the 6.40am service from Ipswich to Lowestoft will also been cancelled.

A spokesman for Network Rail said the Haddiscoe line should open again on Friday afternoon, pending a safety inspection.

In addition, Cantley, Reedham, Haddiscoe, and Somerleyton will not be reachable by rail replacement bus due to issues with access, and commuters should plan accordingly.

Anyone who will be travelling on the affected dates can use their tickets to take a train on Saturday.

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia’s managing director, said the line closure was a temporary precaution to protect customers, colleagues and railway infrastructure around the village.

He added: “Updates will be communicated via the Greater Anglia website, app, and social media channels.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused – customers are advised to check before they travel and allow more time for their journeys.”

Katie Frost, Network Rail’s route director for Greater Anglia, said: “Our priority is the safety of our staff, passengers and members of the public.

“The risk of flooding on the line between Norwich and Lowestoft means we’ve taken the difficult decision to close it.

“I am sorry that this will disrupt journeys at a time when many of our customers are getting ready for Christmas, but we must put safety first.

“We will have people on-site monitoring the situation, will do a thorough track inspection on Friday morning and will work closely with Greater Anglia to reopen the line as soon as possible once we are assured it is safe to do so.”