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Monday 11 Apr 2022

Why is London Euston station closed over the Easter bank holiday?

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

Details have been released explaining why London Euston station must be closed during essential railway improvements over the Easter bank holiday.

Network Rail is investing millions of pounds upgrading sections of track in Watford to improve future journeys on one of Europe’s busiest mixed-use passenger and freight rail routes.

Upgrades will also take place to switches and crossings – the equipment which lets trains move between lines.

Such complex and large projects can only be done during a full closure of the railway, with bank holidays being the least disruptive time to do them.

In numbers, the improvements will see:

• 1km of new track installed
• 5,000 tonnes of new railway foundation stone (ballast) laid
• 4,400 of spoil removed
• 7,000 worker hours over 14 shifts
• 10 engineering trains
• 2 rail mounted cranes to lift in the new track sections
• 8 rail mounted excavators to move stone and spoil

Once complete the railway renewals will increase the number of trains which can pass through the key junction, meaning fewer delays and faster journeys for passengers and freight in future.

As well as the track improvements, engineers are making the most of the full railway closure to carry out a wide range of other work, including drainage, fencing, station maintenance and bridge surveys.

Network Rail is advising people to ‘travel either side’ of the bank holiday to avoid disruption caused by the must-do work.

The essential upgrades mean no trains will serve London Euston between 15 – 18 April (Good Friday to Easter Monday).

Services will start and finish at Milton Keynes instead.

Passengers needing to travel on the days in between could have longer journeys, fewer available seats, and may need to use rail replacement buses.

To plan journeys and for the latest travel information visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/wcml.

James Dean, Network Rai’s West Coast South route director, said: “There is never an ideal time to shut the railway and we have to carefully balance the best time to do this essential work with the needs of our passengers. Long bank holiday weekends continue to give our engineers the time they need to close the railway for complex jobs like track replacements and bridge overhauls while disrupting the fewest passengers.

“Our advice this Easter is to travel either side of the bank holiday weekend and to plan ahead by checking National Rail Enquiries to see how your journey could be impacted by our essential upgrades to improve the railway for the future.”

Elsewhere on the railway in Network Rail’s North West and Central region, other essential work which will require the railway to be closed at points over the bank holiday include:

• 1km of track drainage being replaced at Beechwood Tunnel between Birmingham International and Coventry
• Bridge renewal works at Coventry South Junction and HS2 enabling works at Hampton-in-Arden*
• Rugby Road railway bridge in Leamington Spa being replaced as part of a £2.4m investment
• Signalling and track improvements on lines around Crewe station
• Railway foundation stone upgrades on the West Coast main line at Carnforth
• Track replacement on the West Coast main line in Carstairs in Scotland
• Changes to trains between Liverpool and Manchester due to track maintenance around Liverpool South Parkway**

Manchester City and Liverpool football fans are being advised against travelling by rail to and from the FA Cup semi-final on Easter Saturday during the major railway improvements.

• Read more: Liverpool and Man City fans advised to avoid rail travel for FA Cup semi-final

Passengers should plan ahead at www.networkrail.co.uk/wcml, check with their train operators or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest journey information, or by following #EasterRailWorks on Twitter.