Passengers travelling to and from London on the Midland Main Line are being urged to plan ahead this weekend as major upgrades get underway.
Engineers will work around the clock to renew signals, the traffic lights of the railway, in West Hampstead in north-west London, and well as upgrading track in Harpenden in Hertfordshire.
There’s also electrification work south of Bedford as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade, which will help to create a cleaner, greener railway for passengers, whilst two new substations at East Hyde, near Luton and Napsbury, near St Albans will allow for more trains to run on this section of the Midland Main Line in the future.
Further north, teams will push ahead with upgrading track between Attenborough and Beeston in Nottinghamshire. All this work will lead to a smoother and more reliable railway for passengers in the region.
These upgrades will mean changes to services between Derby and Nottingham, whilst buses will replace trains Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink on Saturday (17 June) and between Luton and London St. Pancras International on Sunday (18 June).
There will be no East Midlands Railway (EMR) services south of Luton, with buses available across to the East Coast Main Line at Hitchin, where passengers can board a train to London King’s Cross. There will be a reduced EMR service between Nottingham and Luton with extended journey times and buses will replace trains between Derby and Nottingham.
There will be limited Thameslink services between West Hampstead / Kentish Town and London St. Pancras International on Saturday, however there will be no Thameslink services between Luton and London St Pancras International on Sunday.
Passengers are urged to plan ahead, allow extra time and to check their journey via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator.
Steve Hopkinson, Operations Director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, said: “I’m pleased that were pushing ahead with this work on the Midland Main Line and between Derby and Nottingham. Our continued work to electrify the Midland Main Line is incredibly important and will lead to a cleaner and greener railway in our region, whilst track upgrades in the East Midlands will make sure that we can continue to maintain a safe and reliable railway.
“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we carry out these upgrades and remind passengers to check their journey before setting off.”
Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director for EMR said: “We are asking any customers planning to travel on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to complete their journey.
“Online journey planners are available at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/
“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst the engineering work along the Midland Main Line is taking place.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We join Network Rail in thanking our passengers for their patience. These essential projects will make rail travel in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and North London more reliable and sustainable.
“Buses will replace Thameslink trains between Luton and London over the weekend, so please plan ahead and allow extra time for your journey.”
Image credit: Network Rail
