CROSSRAIL work at Brentwood and Shenfield will start in January, six months earlier than originally planned, the Weekly News can reveal.

At Brentwood station, platforms will be extended for Crossrail and new lifts are being installed under Network Rail’s ‘Access for All’ programme.

At Shenfield, a new bay platform will be constructed and new sidings will be created next to the station.

Both stations will benefit from new signage, help points, customer information screens and CCTV.

Works to the track and overhead electric cables will also be carried out to add capacity to the railway.

Crossrail will link Shenfield and Brentwood with London, and stretch as far as Reading and Heathrow West. It is one of the biggest infrastructure projects being undertaken in the UK at the moment.

The Transport For London-run service will eventually replace the Metro service, currently operating from Shenfield and being run by Abellio Greater Anglia.

Crossrail and Network Rail have been liaising closely with Brentwood Borough Council and Essex County Council about the improvement works. The work schedule has been amended to reduce any disruption to local people.

Residents are also being urged to attend two information events that are taking place over the coming weeks.

The first event will be held between 4.30pm and 7.30pm on Thursday, November 27 at the Brentwood Baptist Church.

A second event will be held at Shenfield in December, the details of which are currently being finalised.

Matthew White, Surface Director at Crossrail said: "Crossrail will provide a step change in public transport for people in and around Brentwood and Shenfield.

"The improvement work taking place will inevitably have an impact on the area around the two stations and the works schedule has been designed to keep any disruption to local people to an absolute minimum.

"Work to remove vegetation from railway land next to Friar’s Avenue in Shenfield will begin in January, which needs to be undertaken outside of the bird nesting season. This will require the use of three parking spaces from Friar’s Avenue car park during the weekend and a small section of private car parking alongside the railway embankment.

"From late February, Network Rail will begin to set up its worksite at Friar’s Avenue car park and a commitment has been made to leave 20 car parking spaces available for use. At Brentwood station, 21 car parking spaces will be required from January 2015 which will be fully re-instated by August 2015.

"Transport for London will begin running existing services between Shenfield and Liverpool Street from May 2015 and residents in the borough will be among the first to benefit from new Crossrail trains when they are introduced in 2017. Up to 12 services an hour will allow passengers to travel through central London without changing trains."