Network Rail Easter Travel Update

Britain’s rail network open for business this Easter – but passengers asked to check before they travel on some key routes

The vast majority of Britain’s rail network will be open for passengers travelling over the Easter bank holiday weekend, helping them make the most of their spring break.

Thanks to our carefully-planned £75.5m  programme of investment this Easter, aimed at improving performance for both passengers and freight services, we are ensuring most services run as normal.

This Easter’s biggest upgrade is part of a £400m project to boost the reliability of the West Coast Main Line - Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway. Tackling areas that are most likely to cause delays to passengers, on the busiest section of the railway, the work this April includes:

• £8.4m of new track to be laid at Willesden, including the renewal of switches and crossings (moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another) and £8m on new overhead power equipment around Wembley;
• A bridge in Ledburn, just south of Leighton Buzzard will see a £6.6m investment in waterproofing the bridge to prevent future damage to the structure. Engineers will also complete over £7m of signalling upgrades nearby, which will help to reduce failures and improve the reliability of journeys.
• Harrow & Wealdstone station will see a £5.8m investment in repairs to the station canopies and platform upgrades.

As a result of the investment work, here will be no trains between London Euston and Milton Keynes between Good Friday and Wednesday 8 April, with trains returning on Thursday 9 April.  

Passengers travelling to or from Euston should check their journeys as there will be diversions and replacement buses.

Elsewhere, thousands of our engineers will be delivering more than 270 essential upgrade projects across Britain to maintain and modernise the railway, delivering a more resilient and reliable railway for the millions of passengers who use the network day in and day out.

A video guide for passengers is available here. : https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/easter-bank-holiday/

Jake Kelly, Network Rail regional director for North West and Central, said:  "We know how important Bank Holidays are - particularly at Easter, when families and friends come together – and that’s why we work hard to keep as much of the network open as possible while carrying out these vital upgrades.

"However, Bank Holidays are also among the least busy times on the railway, and the four-day period at Easter gives us a valuable opportunity to complete projects that simply can't be delivered during a normal weekend. This ensures we maximise the time our teams are out working on the tracks.  

“So passengers will see some changes and it's a good idea for people to check before they travel.”

Daniel Mann, Director of Industry Operations at Rail Delivery Group, said:  “While most services will continue to run as normal over Easter, some improvement works will mean changes for customers on a small number of routes. We’re encouraging anyone travelling over the long weekend to plan ahead, allowing extra time for travel. Where essential improvement works are happening, train operators are working hard to minimise disruption.    

“Visual Disruption Map videos will be available online and at some stations to help passengers navigate planned and unplanned service changes. Our colleagues across the railway will be working tirelessly to keep passengers moving, and we ask everyone to treat them with kindness and respect, as they help deliver a safe and reliable service.”  

Works taking place this Easter include three projects on the West Coast Main Line:

• London Euston and Milton Keynes: As above, from Friday 3 to Wednesday 8 April,  no intercity trains will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes. Services will start and end at Milton Keynes with buses to Bedford for onwards trains to London St Pancras International (Bakerloo Line and Overground trains will run between Euston and Harrow/Watford every day except Saturday and Sunday).
• Preston to Carlisle: On Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April, installation of new signals and power supply equipment means there will be no trains between Preston and Lancaster. Avanti West Coast will operate a special Preston to Carlisle train service via the Settle & Carlisle line, while TransPennine Express and Northern services will terminate at Preston, Oxenholme or Grange-over-Sands.
• Carlisle to Glasgow Central/Edinburgh, Scotland: New track and points being installed on the West Coast Main Line in south Glasgow means that Anglo Scottish passengers will be diverted via Dumfries and Kilmarnock.

Work elsewhere on the network includes:

• London Waterloo to Clapham Junction and around Winchester: From Friday 3 to Monday 6 April the renewal of switches and crossings (moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another) and structural repairs will mean reduced services between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction, while track improvements in Hampshire will mean buses replace trains between Winchester and Southampton over all four days of the bank holiday.
• Margate: From Friday 3 to Monday 6 April, the installation of new tracks through Margate station will mean buses replace trains between Herne Bay and Ramsgate via Broadstairs.

For full details of engineering work taking place this Easter, passengers are advised to check their journeys with their train operator or via National Rail Enquiries before travelling.