West Coast main line clear for Christmas travel, but upgrades to follow in New Year

Passengers using the West Coast main line between Euston and Crewe can rely on the railway for travel this Christmas, although major bank holiday upgrades will take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day when traditionally the railway shuts down for a festive face-lift.

There has not been a standard service on Christmas Day for around 60 years, and no service at all for the last 40 years, but there is a limited service on Boxing Day.

Train operators work with Network Rail to produce a timetable that fits in with the demand from people to travel.

Most engineering work over Christmas is planned to limit the impact on passengers, but Christmas and New Year bank holiday journeys should be free from disruptive railway upgrades.

However, after the holiday season is over, essential major flood protection work will take place from 4th to 12th January on a 4 km stretch of line between Milton Keynes and Rugby.

The work will prevent heavy rain from flooding tracks, making the economically important rail route more reliable for passengers and freight.

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For Avanti West Coast customers, trains will be diverted via Northampton, which will add around 25 minutes onto West Coast main line journeys.

London Northwestern Railway passengers travelling between Crewe and Euston will need to change trains at Rugby.
Passengers should check www.nationalrail.co.uk and plan their journeys in advance,

Or passengers can find out how their journeys will be affected by contacting their train operator, via National Rail Enquiries, or by following #ChristmasRailWorks on Twitter.

For the national picture on railway upgrades this Christmas and New Year, read more here.

James Dean, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, said: “We’ve worked hard with train operators to reduce the impact of our railway upgrade work on passengers so that they can spend time with their families and friends this Christmas and New Year.

“We do have major work approaching in January which we’re letting people know about early on – so it doesn’t come as a surprise. Fortunately, we can use a diversionary route so passengers can stay on the move, albeit with slightly longer journeys or the need to change trains.”

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “These essential maintenance projects over Christmas and New Year will improve the reliability of our rail infrastructure and reduce the likelihood of delays in the future. I urge customers to plan their rail travel in advance during the West Coast Main Line work near Milton Keynes in January when some journeys will take longer.”

Gus Dunster, executive director of operations and safety at Avanti West Coast, said: “As Network Rail carry out essential works near Milton Keynes in January, there’ll be changes to our services and extended journey times to and from London Euston. We strongly recommend you make a reservation, plan your journey in advance as well as check the National Rail Enquiries website before travelling.”