Passengers in Milton Keynes are being urged to plan their journeys over the Christmas period as railway engineers take on a project dubbed Britain’s biggest Christmas jigsaw.
Hanslope Junction carries more than 3,300 passenger and freight services a week, and it is set to be transformed by a £26m improvement programme.
Starting on Christmas Eve, Network Rail teams will be replacing 130 track pieces across the junction. Work will also include strengthening the foundations below the track, as well as overhauling points, switches and crossings.
In the last five years, faults on this railway junction have caused more than 11,000 minutes of delays – equivalent to more than a week's worth of disruption.
The upgrade will improve reliability and reduce disruption for passengers, but will mean 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 a £3.66m project to replace concrete planks and fix uneven services at Milton Keynes Central station, and resurfacing of platforms 3 & 4 at Wolverton station.
“These upgrades to the West Coast Main Line will make the railway more reliable and safer for many years to come,” said Gary Walsh from Network Rail, “We appreciate passengers’ patience while this work takes place. If you plan to travel during the Christmas period, I would urge you to plan your journeys as early as possible and check in with National Rail Enquiries for the last information on services.”
Follow-up work will be taking place on Sunday, January 11 and Sunday, January 25 – again there will be no trains operating between Milton Keynes and Northampton/Rugby.
Passengers are being advised to plan ahead, allow extra time for journeys and expect some parts of the journey to be by bus.
For more information on the Hanslope Junction work, visit Christmas upgrades to future-proof West Coast Main Line near Milton Keynes.
