Network Rail has announced that there will be no intercity rail services running between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central for 6 entire days starting from tomorrow. The rather lengthy track closure is due to essential engineering work taking place on the line (which just so happens to be one of the busiest intercity railway lines in the country).
The closures coincide with the Easter bank holiday weekend. And considering that London Euston is a major hub for hotfooting it out of the capital city, it’s likely that the closure will affect a fair few city-dwellers and their bank holiday travel plans.
When will the line be closed?
There will be no West Coast Main Line services between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central between Friday, April 3 (Good Friday) and Wednesday, April 8. Network Rail have opted to carry out the vital work over a bank holiday weekend, when the line tends to be less busy.
There will also be no London Overground Lioness Line services heading in or out of Euston on April 4 or April 5. Passengers are being urged to plan ahead and find alternative routes where possible.
What works will be taking place on the line?
The upcoming maintenance work comes as part of a rather hefty £400 million project being carried out to increase the reliability of the (incredibly busy) railway line. The work that’ll be happening over the Easter period includes essential track work taking place at Willesden, a bridge in Ledburn being given some TLC to prevent future damage, overhead line equipment near Wembley being renewed, and repairs and platform upgrades being carried out at Harrow and Wealdstone station.
Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “There is a large amount of work taking place over the Easter bank holiday and until 8 April to improve the reliability of the West Coast Main Line for the millions of passengers and freight operators who rely on this route.
“There will be some major changes to journeys between Euston and Milton Keynes in this six-day period so we’re urging everyone who plans to travel over Easter to check their journey in advance at Nation Rail Enquiries.”
Chris Liptrot, Operations Director at Avanti West Coast, said: “While Network Rail carry our this essential work, we’ll be operating an amended timetable with journeys to and from London Euston involving changes or rail replacement buses. We strongly advise customers making journeys to or from London Euston between 3 and 8 April to plan ahead and check the National Rail website before travelling.”
