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 the East Midlands 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 Midland Main Line are expected to be extremely busy, particularly on services from Sheffield and Leicester bound for London.

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.”

Lawrence Bowman, Commercial Director for East Midlands Trains, said: "Whilst this work doesn't directly impact on the running of our services, we're expecting some of our trains to be busier than usual.

"So we're planning to provide extra carriages on our trains into London and running additional trains which means we'll be offering an extra 7,000 seats to London on Saturday 26 August. We'll also have extra staff on hand to help customers with their journeys."

ENDS