London Euston closures:Train services face heavy disruption across August bank holiday
'We highly recommend that you avoid travelling over the next three weekends unless absolutely necessary,’ says Virgin Trains
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Britain’s rail travellers are wearily accustomed to engineering work taking place over the late August bank holiday. But this year the work is starting earlier and going on longer.
Beginning on Saturday 18 August, London Euston station will close for three weekends in a row: 18-19 and 25-27 August, and 1-2 September.
Network Rail is replacing North Wembley junction, one of the key intersections on what is claimed to be Europe’s busiest “mixed use” railway.
Martin Frobisher, managing director for Network Rail’s London North Western route, says: “There is never an ideal time to shut the railway but these three weekends are the least disruptive times to do it.
“It’s vital the track at North Wembley is replaced to continue to safely meet the huge demand of passenger and freight rail services on the West Coast main line. This work will result in better, more reliable journeys in future.”
No trains will run from Euston on the West Coast main line to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
Virgin Trains is warning customers: “We highly recommend that you avoid travelling on these dates unless absolutely necessary. If you choose to travel on these dates, you’ll need to plan carefully and allow longer to get to your destination.
“If travel is essential, then we suggest travelling either side of the weekend.”
The train firm has removed off-peak time restrictions after 9.30am on the last three Fridays in August.
Virgin’s services are starting and ending at Milton Keynes Central, which has far less capacity that Euston. As a result, trains will be much less frequent.
Change here: rail replacement options for travellers to and from London (Virgin Trains)
Many travellers are expected to switch to Chiltern Railways, which runs services between Birmingham and London Marylebone. The train operator is laying on some extra trains but warns that services will be extremely busy.
The closure is adding to the ongoing problems for travellers on the troubled Northern network who want to travel beyond the region. As a result of delays in an electrification project, they are having to cope with weekend closures between Manchester and Bolton until November, as well as many train cancellations.
London Northwestern Railway, which runs trains from Euston to Northampton, Birmingham and Crewe, is telling passengers: “If customers cannot avoid travelling over these weekends and have plans to attend major events, including the Notting Hill Carnival, Godiva Festival, the Rugby Challenge Cup at Wembley or football fixtures in London, they’re advised to expect very different journeys to normal – busier trains and longer, diverted routes.”
The firm’s customer experience director, Andrew Conroy, says: “Our aim is to keep people moving if they have to travel on these dates.
“Improvement works are never convenient for anyone, but we have a tried and tested plan for operating buses to connect with alternative routes to and from London when Euston is closed.
“We still advise customers to travel on alternative days as these options will take significantly longer.”
Work is also taking place at Coventry station over the August bank holiday from 25 to 27 August, with buses replacing trains between Birmingham International and Rugby.
It is rare for work to continue so long after the bank holiday, because passenger numbers increase. As a result, on 1 and 2 September, buses will run between Milton Keynes Central and the London Underground at Stanmore.
There are also massive disruptions at Derby, where a £200m resignalling programme is intended to increase capacity and accelerate journeys. “This investment will provide a new platform, new track and new signalling,” says Network Rail.
No CrossCountry trains will run through until 2 September – and even after that, journey times could be half an hour longer for a further month.
From the start of the Bank Holiday weekend, 25 August. the Peak District gateway, Matlock, is cut off from the rest of the nation by rail for six weeks.
Rail passengers in East Sussex also face problems for most of the rest of the month. Between Brighton, Lewes and Seaford, trains are cancelled from 18 until 28 August.
Earlier this week the next increase in regulated rail fares – covering season tickets and longer distance off-peak returns – was announced.
From January 2019, fares will rise by 3.2 per cent, well above the increase in average wages.
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