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Monday 8 Aug 2022

Railway open for August Bank Holiday rush as Network Rail delivers upgrades to improve passenger journeys

Region & Route:

National

• Vast majority of network (95%) will be open for business as usual, but some routes will be affected by the works taking place, so passengers are asked to check before they travel
• Network Rail will deliver £90m worth of upgrades to the railway this August Bank Holiday

The vast majority of the rail network will be open for business as usual this August Bank Holiday, enabling passengers to go on holiday, attend social events or visit friends and family.

Some upgrade works – worth a total of £90m – are being delivered, which means some routes will be affected, so passengers are asked to check before they travel.

Upgrading the railway to improve future passenger journeys remains crucial, and bank holidays are often the most productive time to carry out such works. But with leisure travel having recovered strongly since the pandemic, Network Rail is keen to minimise disruption for leisure travellers as far as possible when delivering upgrades.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “I’m pleased to say the vast majority of the railway will be open for business as usual this bank holiday, so passengers can rely on us to get them where they need to go as they make the most of their summers.

“Our teams will be delivering some upgrade works to improve future journeys for passengers, so we’re asking people to check before they travel and make sure their route isn’t affected.”

The major upgrade projects to be carried out over the August Bank Holiday weekend include:

• HS2 piling works at London Euston to enable the delivery of the new high-speed railway. An amended, reduced timetable will run between Northampton/Milton Keynes and London Euston.
• Rebuilding busy junctions to improve reliability at Charing Cross and New Cross, which means changes to Southeastern services in south east London and Kent. There will be no trains to Charing Cross or Cannon Street on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August, with a limited service from Hastings/Tonbridge to London Bridge on both days. London Bridge and Cannon Street will fully reopen on Monday, with only Charing Cross still closed to trains.
• Resignalling works from Hounslow to Virginia Water to improve the reliability of the railway. As a result, London Waterloo to Reading services will be amended and diverted between Clapham Junction and Virginia Water.
• Digital railway resignalling works at Welwyn Garden City to improve reliability. No Great Northern or Thameslink trains will run between Finsbury Park and Stevenage via Welwyn Garden City on 28 August, and Grand Central trains will be diverted with extended journey times.

Passengers can find out how their journeys will be affected with their train operator or via National Rail Enquiries.