Passengers travelling over Christmas and New Year are being urged to plan their journeys in advance, as significant rail upgrades are expected to make London Euston station busier than usual from Christmas Eve into the New Year.
Rail works affecting routes to London Paddington and London St Pancras mean that more passengers are expected at Euston over the festive period. Passengers using the West Coast Main Line are advised to travel before Tuesday, 24 December, or after Thursday, 2 January, for smoother journeys.
Upgrades on the Great Western Main Line in preparation for HS2’s Old Oak Common station near Paddington mean some Great Western Railway (GWR) services will be diverted into Euston from Friday, 27 December to Sunday, 29 December. During work on the Midland Main Line from Saturday, 21 December to Sunday, 29 December, East Midlands Railway (EMR) passengers can connect to services to and from Euston at Milton Keynes via bus replacements to Bedford.
Most engineering on the West Coast Main Line will take place from Christmas Eve until Friday, 27 December, when the railway reopens. Further upgrades to improve journey reliability into Euston will continue from Monday, 23 December to Saturday, 4 January. These works include:
- Track drainage improvements near Milton Keynes – Buses will replace all trains between Milton Keynes, Northampton, and Rugby on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, 1 January.
- Track upgrades between Watford and Milton Keynes – An amended service will run from Wednesday, 1 January to Saturday, 4 January.
Gary Walsh, director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “We understand that travelling over the festive period is important for so many people and we want to make sure everyone reaches their destination as smoothly as possible.
“On top of upgrades which will help to make the West Coast Main Line more reliable for our passengers, we’ve got major engineering work affecting other routes into London this year, which means Euston will be extremely busy. I’m urging passengers to plan their journeys in advance at www.nationalrail.co.uk and for a more comfortable journey, please consider travelling before Christmas Eve or after Thursday 2 January.”
Passengers traveling further north should also expect changes. Signalling and drainage upgrades on the freight network will affect services to, from, and through Crewe between Tuesday, 24 December and Friday, 3 January.
Timetables are now available, and passengers are encouraged to check updated travel information through National Rail Enquiries or their train operator’s website.
Passengers needing assistance at London Euston are encouraged to book Passenger Assist in advance by contacting their train operator, National Rail Enquiries at 0800 0223720, or by text to 60083.
Network Rail and its partners at London Euston are preparing for the additional trains and passengers, with early boarding trials across Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services as part of a five-point plan to improve the passenger experience this Christmas.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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