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Tuesday 6 May 2025

Railway and Euston reopen after bank holiday railway upgrades

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

West Coast Main Line passengers are being thanked for their patience after major projects to improve the railway saw changes to some journeys over the Early May Bank Holiday. 

From Saturday 3 to Monday 5 May, Network Rail engineers worked around the clock on the West Coast Main Line to carry out complex railway upgrades aimed at keeping services running smoothly for years to come. 

Key work included: 

• Drainage improvements near Tring station, with 34 drainage pipes and six concrete catchpits installed to help protect the railway from flooding – a growing risk during extreme weather. 

• Embankment strengthening at Harlesden to prevent landslips and maintain safe and reliable infrastructure. 
• Further maintenance also took place between London Euston and Willesden, including upgrading overhead power lines, repairing bridge brickwork, running new cables through tunnels, refurbishing and renewing key junctions where trains switch tracks, and realigning track to improve performance and safety. 

With London Euston station closed for two consecutive days, teams were able to complete complex and safety-critical work. Today (Tuesday 5 May) Euston station and the railway reopened and passengers whose travel plans were impacted by the work are being thanked by rail bosses. 

Neil O’Toole, Network Rail Capital Delivery senior programme manager, said: “We’d like to thank passengers for their patience over the Early May bank holiday while we carried out this essential work. Engineers worked around the clock to carry out upgrades to reduce delays, prevent flooding, and keep the railway running reliably in the long term.” 

More essential railway upgrades is planned later this month to further boost the reliability of the West Coast Main Line.

From Saturday 24 May to Sunday 1 June, the Trent Valley line will close for nine days between Stafford and Rugby for a major programme of work. 

Engineers will carry out track renewals, embankment stabilisation, bridge waterproofing and overhead line upgrades to help reduce the risk of future delays and improve the resilience of the railway. 

During the closure, no direct services will run between Rugby, Nuneaton, Lichfield Trent Valley and Stafford.

Rail replacement buses will be in operation, and passengers are strongly advised to plan ahead and check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk and with their train operator.