Drone footage has been released showing major upgrades to the West Coast Main Line, with Euston station reopening today (22 April) after significant improvement work took place over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Hundreds of engineers from Network Rail and its supply chain worked around the clock at several key points along the route, which is one of the country’s most important rail lines.
The work included replacing switches and crossings at Kensal Green, strengthening a railway embankment in Harlesden, and installing new track and ballast near Tring. Other improvements included better drainage near Leighton Buzzard, overhead line re-tensioning at Euston, power upgrades for the London Overground between Watford and Euston, and new signalling for a freight interchange at Northampton.
The scale of the work meant no trains could run in or out of Euston station for three days over Easter. This gave Network Rail a chance to completely upgrade the station’s concourse toilets.
The upgrades included improvements to male, female and accessible toilets, with new cubicles, urinals, soap dispensers, fixtures, refreshed décor, and a deep clean of all areas. Signage around the station was also upgraded to help passengers navigate more easily.
Brian Paynter, Network Rail Capital Delivery head of track, said: “We’ve invested millions of pounds to improve future journeys on the southern end of the West Coast Main Line this Easter, at a time of year when we know passenger numbers are lower so we can minimise disruption to one of the country’s most important rail routes.
“In the short term we know some passengers were disrupted and I’d like to thank them for their patience if their travel plans were affected over the bank holiday. In the long term though, our ongoing investments will see smoother and more reliable journeys and better facilities for passengers travelling to and from London Euston.”
More work is planned for the early May bank holiday, from Saturday 3 to Monday 5 May. Euston station will be closed again on Sunday 4 and Monday 5 May, with fewer trains and some journeys involving rail replacement buses.
Passengers are advised to check their journeys in advance at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
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