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Friday 6 Mar 2026

Passengers warned ‘check before you travel’ ahead of key London Marylebone upgrades

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Passengers on the Chiltern Main Line have been warned to check before travelling next weekend (14 and 15 March) as key upgrade work is completed.

Engineering teams will be working on a mile-long section of track around West Ruislip station, replacing old rail sleepers with new concrete equivalents, updating track and renewing ballast on the line.

Similar work will take place close to Birmingham New Street station on a half-mile section of track which will be upgraded to modern standards. While the railway is closed, Network Rail teams will also be working on the approach to London Marylebone, updating and refurbishing track switches and crossings.

These projects will improve reliability on the railway and ensure passengers can have confidence in train services for decades to come.

As a result, anyone travelling on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March should be aware that no Chiltern Railways services will run into or out of London Marylebone.

There will also be no services south of Gerrards Cross or Amersham and no trains will run south of Bicester North from Birmingham.

Rail replacement buses will run between Bicester North and Bicester Village and between Gerrards Cross and Hillingdon.

Neil Gaskin, Network Rail central route programme director, said: “These upgrades are vital to ensuring trains run reliably and on time.

"I would like to thank passengers for their patience while the work takes place."

Michael Stewart, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: “I understand that no trains to or from London Marylebone for an entire weekend will significantly inconvenience our customers. I want to thank them for their patience during these works which are crucial for the future reliability of the railway.

“Please check your journeys ahead of travelling in the area on the affected weekend as they will be heavily disrupted.”

Passengers can find more details about services here - Rail Engineering works: Marylebone 14 March | National Rail.