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Thursday 29 Jan 2026

Huge improvements planned across the West Coast Main Line this Easter

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Passengers travelling on the West Coast Main Line this Easter have been urged to check before they travel as a huge programme of improvement work continues.

From 3-20 April the latest stage of £400m upgrades across Europe's busiest mixed-use railway will be completed. These improvements will create a more reliable and resilient railway for passengers.

Projects set to be completed span a huge area from Euston in the South to Preston in the North and include massive signalling and overhead line upgrades which will ensure smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers. 

The programme of work includes: 

• Renewal of key track, signalling and overhead line equipment between Euston station and Milton Keynes. 

• Signalling and track upgrades between Preston and Oxenholme. 

• Overhead line equipment improvements between Preston, Lancaster and Fylde. 

This work will mean some changes to journeys for passengers between Scotland and London via Cumbria, Manchester and the West Midlands. 

  Passengers should be aware of the following changes to journeys: 

• 3-8 April: No main line trains will run between Euston and Milton Keynes Central. DC Line trains will run between Euston and Willesden Junction on Good Friday (3 April) and Easter Monday (6 April). DC Line will run between Euston and Watford Junction on Tuesday (7 April) and Wednesday (8 April). Rail replacement services will run between Milton Keynes and Bedford and Milton Keynes and Potters Bar via Watford. 

• 4-5 April: No trains between Preston and Oxenholme. Trains will divert onto the Settle-Carlisle line and bus replacement services will be in place. 

• 3-6 April: No trains between Great Missenden and Aylesbury, bus replacement services will be in place. 

• 11-20 April: No trains between Preston and Lancaster. Trains will divert onto the Settle-Carlisle line and trains will run between Oxenholme to Carlisle. Bus replacement services will also be in place. 

While these changes are in place, the picturesque Settle-Carlisle line will once again be opened to passengers from 11-20 April. 

The West Coast Main Line – the railway that connects London, the Midlands, the North West and Scotland – is undergoing its biggest overhaul in more than 50 years, with £400m of work set to take place in the coming years.

The line carries almost 2,000 passenger trains and 15,000 tonnes of goods every day, but much of its infrastructure is struggling to meet modern demand. With passenger numbers expected to double by 2050, this work is about making sure the railway can keep pace with the future. 

Julien Dehornoy, North West & Central Deputy Regional Managing Director at Network Rail, said: "The West Coast Main Line is one of Britain's most important railway lines. We're investing in it over this Easter period to ensure a more reliable, resilient railway that communities and businesses can depend on for decades to come.

"Passengers should be aware that this work will mean some changes to journeys and should plan their trips ahead of time." 

To plan rail journeys in advance please use www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest travel information.