Media centre

Monday 14 Aug 2017

Passenger services expected to be busier than usual ahead of record bank holiday investment

Region & Route:

| Eastern

Passengers travelling on services between London and Yorkshire and the north east are being advised that trains will be busier than usual this August bank holiday as Network Rail invests record amounts across the network.

Around £133m will be spent across the national rail network over the weekend of August 26 and 27, including rerouting the power supply at London Euston in preparation for HS2. This work means that there will be fewer services on the  West Coast Main Line – which runs between Glasgow, north west England and London Euston –  with passengers along the route advised not to travel unless essential.

As a result, trains on the East Coast Main Line are expected to be extremely busy, particularly on services from Newcastle, York and Leeds bound for London. Services in South Yorkshire will also be very busy, including trains between Sheffield and Manchester.

The railway will also be busy due to a number of high profile events taking place across the north east over the bank holiday weekend, such as Leeds Festival and York races, in addition to passengers who are using the long weekend to get away and attend the Challenge Cup final in Wembley.

Passengers are therefore urged to allow additional time to travel and plan their journey ahead with National Rail Enquiries.

Rob McIntosh, managing director of the London North Eastern and East Midlands route said: “We are investing a record amount across the railway this August bank holiday. It is vital investment which will ensure that we can provide a network which meets the needs of the economies and communities our railway serves.

“We carry out major engineering projects at weekends and bank holidays where possible, as this is when fewer people travel. However, we do appreciate that there’s never an ideal time to work on the railway.

“We know that there are many events going on at this time of the year and that the railway will be busy, so if you do plan on travelling by train, please make sure you plan your journey and allow extra travelling time.”

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director for TransPennine Express commented: “We are expecting all of our train services, particularly between Sheffield and Manchester to be extremely busy on the Saturday and Sunday of the August Bank Holiday weekend due to work affecting the West Coast Mainline.

“Customers travelling should allow extra time and check before they travel.”

Warrick Dent, Safety and Operations Director at Virgin Trains on the east coast, said: “Although these works don’t directly affect us, some passengers will be redirected onto the east coast route over the weekend and so some of our services are expected to be very busy. We would urge customers to book ahead, ensure they have a seat reservation and check before they travel.”

ENDS