Network Rail has launched a new digital notification service for more than seven million residents living near the railway across east and north east England.
The free email service provides up-to-date information about railway maintenance, upgrades and emergency work to residents living within 500 metres of the track.
The service is being provided by Network Rail’s Eastern region, which includes places such as north London, Anglia, the East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Humberside and the north east of England up to the Scottish border. The region has seven and a half million residents who, if they sign up, will benefit from:
- Instant notifications about upcoming engineering work
- Real-time updates on maintenance projects
- Advance warnings about potentially disruptive work
- Regular progress updates on local railway improvements
The region operates over 6,000 miles of track, supporting 7,500 passenger services daily and moving more than one million tonnes of freight weekly. Any essential work on this vital network affects not just rail passengers but the millions of residents living alongside our railway.
The initiative follows a successful pilot scheme in 2023 across the Midland Main Line upgrade and Bolton to Wigan electrification scheme with 207,114 notifications sent to neighbours – and a total saving of £362,988 on paper and postage costs.
The email service – that just needs neighbours to sign-up by visiting www.networkrail.co.uk/railworknearme – will keep people up to date with the latest information about any work going on in their neighbourhood, especially that which might cause a disturbance, providing details in a clear, accessible and timely way.
Dean Shaw, head of communications for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This new digital service represents a major step forward in how we communicate with our neighbours.
“We know that engineering work can sometimes impact local communities, which is why we’re committed to giving our seven and a half million residents advance notice and real-time updates digitally about work happening near them.
“This service will help us be more transparent, efficient and environmentally friendly in our communications, while making sure residents have the information they need, when they need it.”
The new scheme saves the railway £1.65 per print letter – funds that can be reinvested elsewhere on the network. Letters will of course still be used for those not able to access on-line systems.
Residents invited to track railway work near them through new digital service