THROUGH trains between Ipswich and Peterborough are still unlikely to be restored until early next year despite progress in clearing a wrecked bridge.However rail bosses confirmed today that the new bridge to be built at Ely will be wide enough to carry a double track in the hope that eventually the route between Ely and Bury will become a main line for freight and passenger trains.

THROUGH trains between Ipswich and Peterborough are still unlikely to be restored until early next year despite progress in clearing a wrecked bridge.

However rail bosses confirmed today that the new bridge to be built at Ely will be wide enough to carry a double track in the hope that eventually the route between Ely and Bury will become a main line for freight and passenger trains.

The bridge across the River Ouse just outside Ely was seriously damaged on June 22 when a freight train came off the track.

The bridge could not be repaired and there were problems with removing the damaged trucks because a new temporary road had to be built across fenland meadows to the isolated scene of the accident.

The wagons have now been removed, the bridge superstructure dismantled, and the River Ouse reopened to boats.

However Network Rail spokesman Michael Cavanagh said it was still much too early to say when the line would re-open.

He said: “We are now drawing plans for a new bridge but it will certainly be wide enough to carry a double track.

“The old bridge was that wide, there used to be two lines there, and we certainly want to leave that option open for the future.”

Until the bridge re-opens, rail company 'one' is operating a bus link between Bury St Edmunds and Ely or passengers have the option of travelling from Ipswich to Peterborough via Cambridge or Norwich - although any of those options adds about an hour to the journey.

Have your journeys been disrupted by the bridge closure? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.