After major upgrades to the railway between London Euston and Milton Keynes during Easter, the line has reopened today, Tuesday, 11th April, as planned, for both passenger and freight trains.
Over the long bank holiday weekend, all four lines of the West Coast Main Line were closed at Watford to allow dozens of engineers to complete improvements to a railway junction. Upgrading of the junction has been ongoing during Easter and Early May Bank Holiday weekends since spring 2021 at a total of £15m.
Although the Watford upgrade has been completed, further essential upgrades are planned for the southern part of the West Coast Main Line between Saturday, 29th April and Monday, 1st May. These include:
- at Euston and Kings Langley – overhead line work in readiness for hot weather;
- Harrow and Wealdstone – track upgrades;
- Bushey – overhead line upgrades as part of a year-long power supply upgrade project;
- Willesden North and Watford South Junction – upgrades to the track ballast;
- Between Berkhamstead and Tring – track renewal at Sunnyside and at Chadwell Farm.
As well as the above, Euston station will be closed on Sunday, 30th April. Trains will terminate at Milton Keynes with rail-replacement bus services from there to Bedford where passengers can catch trains into London St Pancras.
During this weekend, passengers should plan their journeys in advance by checking www.nationalrail.co.uk.
James Dean, Network Rail's West Coast South route director, said: “I'd like to thank people travelling over Easter for their patience while we carried out our essential railway upgrades to improve journeys for passengers and freight in the future.
“We never take the decision to close Euston station lightly, and this major railway junction overhaul in Watford just wouldn't have been possible without closing all four lines entirely.
“Now it's complete – after two years of major work – passengers will start to see the benefits immediately as it will mean faster, more reliable journeys for trains travelling on the West Coast main line in and out of the capital.”
