Rail passengers have been urged to plan their journeys ahead of a major programme of improvement work near Milton Keynes.
The work to improve Hanslope junction is one of a number of important projects taking place across the West Coast Main Line during the festive period.
The junction is a vital section of railway carrying more than 3,300 passenger and freight services a week, but, in the last five years, faults on this crucial railway junction have caused more than 11,000 minutes of delays. That's equivalent to more than a week's worth of disruption. The upgrade will improve reliability and reduce disruption for passengers.
From Christmas Eve, the mile-long stretch of track will be transformed with a £26m improvement programme.
Engineers will be replacing 130 track pieces across the junction. Work also includes strengthening the foundations below the track, as well as overhauling points, switches and crossings.
The work means that journeys to and from London Euston will be affected from Christmas Eve until the morning of January 5.
While trains aren’t running between Milton Keynes and Rugby or Milton Keynes and Northampton, engineers will deliver additional improvements, including:
Milton Keynes Central station – Platform 4 renewal
A £3.66m project to replace concrete planks and fix uneven surfaces, improving safety and structural integrity.
Wolverton station – Platforms 3 & 4 resurfacing
Investing over £2m to upgrade platform surfaces and improving stepping distances between train and platform.
“This is a much-needed upgrade which will reduce the number of delays passengers have to experience on the railway and future-proof the West Coast Main Line for decades to come," said Steve Hopkinson, Network Rail’s operations director for the West Coast South route.
"We have worked hard with our train operator partners to limit disruption to people travelling this Christmas, but please check your journey before you travel.”
