Rail improvement work means major changes to Chiltern Main Line journeys this weekend

Wednesday 9 Sep 2026

Rail improvement work means major changes to Chiltern Main Line journeys this weekend

Region & Route:: North West & Central; | North West & Central: Central

Passengers travelling on the Chiltern Main Line are being advised to plan their journeys ahead of a closure between Northolt Park and Haddenham & Thame Parkway stations this weekend during essential railway improvement work.

Network Rail and its partners will carry out a range of projects designed to improve the reliability of the railway. This includes a £500,000 investment at High Wycombe to replace around 1km of track, helping to keep journeys safe and reliable. Drainage work will also take place at Princes Risborough, while HS2 will demolish a road bridge near West Ruislip which has been rebuilt as part of the construction of Britain's new high-speed railway.

To allow the work to be carried out safely, the following changes to train services will be in place:

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September: There will be no Chiltern Railways services between Northolt Park and Haddenham & Thame Parkway. Rail replacement bus services will operate, and some journeys may take longer than usual.

Passengers are advised to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys. Alternative routes and rail replacement bus services will be available to help people complete their journeys.

Martin Colmey, Route Director for Network Rail's Central route, said: "We're carrying out improvements on the Chiltern Main Line which will help deliver a more reliable railway for passengers and freight customers in the future.

"This includes renewing track, carrying out essential maintenance and supporting the delivery of HS2 infrastructure near West Ruislip. We know these closures will inconvenience some journeys, and I'd like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while this vital work takes place.

"Please plan ahead and check your journey before travelling by visiting National Rail Enquiries, or by checking directly with Chiltern Railways."

Michael Stewart, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said: "The improvement works by Network Rail are crucial for the future of the network and to keep services reliable for our customers.

"Please check your journeys ahead of travelling in the affected area this weekend as they may be disrupted and involve a rail replacement bus."

Passengers should check the latest travel information via National Rail Enquiries or at www.chilternrailways.co.uk.

Notes to Editors

Chiltern Railways travel advice:

The railway is closed between Northolt Park and Haddenham & Thame Parkway on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 September 2026.

Rail replacement buses will operate as follows, connecting with trains at Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Bicester Village, Bicester North, and with London Underground Metropolitan Line services to/from Baker Street at Hillingdon:

Hillingdon (London Underground) - Denham - Gerrards Cross - Beaconsfield - High Wycombe - Saunderton - Princes Risborough - Haddenham & Thame Parkway - Bicester Village - Bicester North.
Aylesbury Vale Parkway - Bicester Village - Bicester North.
Some late-night buses will be extended to/from Banbury.

In connection with the above engineering works, an enhanced service of 2 trains per hour will operate between Marylebone and stations to Aylesbury Vale Parkway for most of the day.

Important information:

Passengers travelling between Marylebone - Bicester Village/Bicester North and stations to Oxford/Birmingham should travel via Aylesbury Vale Parkway.

Passengers travelling between Marylebone - stations to Haddenham & Thame Parkway should travel via Hillingdon (London Underground).

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
North West and Central Media Relations
Press Office
Network Rail
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

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