Network Rail and contractor BAM will begin a project to replace bridges carrying London Overground trains later this summer.

The bridges in the Forest Gate area are 130 years old and need to be replaced to avoid unplanned disruption and enable future reliability. The new bridges are expected to last until around the year 2150.

Sites being replaced are: Talbot Road; Strode Road; Stracey Road and Latimer Road.

All the bridges are on the London Overground Suffragette line, between Leytonstone High Road and Woodgrange Park stations.

Work will begin at the Talbot Road and Stracey Road bridges on 1 September, with engineers starting on site at Strode Road and Latimer Road on 28 September. The road and pavement will be closed under each bridge throughout the project, with other road closures in the area being needed for shorter periods during 2027.

The first phase of the works will be to extend the support structures at the ends of the existing bridges so they can carry the new decks. Following this, the demolition of the old bridge decks and installation of the new spans is set to be carried out in spring 2027, with the project to be completed by late summer 2027.

Joe Kennedy, infrastructure director for Network Rail Anglia, said: “Thousands of people travel over these old bridges every day by train, passing through residential areas in east London. Our project will deliver four brand new bridges that will serve the surrounding community and rail passengers for several generations.”