Check before you travel over Christmas and New Year

Monday, 18 December 2017

Local train operators, West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, are advising passengers to check before they travel over the Christmas and New Year period.

Track upgrade work and different travel patterns means changes to timetables over the festive period. However this year train operators are reminding commuters that some timetable changes will still be in effect after the holidays on January 2.

Timetable alterations will be in place across a number of routes from 24 December to 2 January and the frequency of some train services will be reduced over the Christmas and New Year period. The last trains from towns and cities are often very busy so passengers are advised to travel earlier wherever possible.

Network Rail will be carrying out improvement works across the network at Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street and on the West Coast Main Line near Rugby.

Andrew Conroy, Customer Services director at London Northwestern Railway, said: “Services are always busier over the Christmas and New Year period and we don’t want any of our passengers to be left behind. The advice is to leave plenty of time to make your journeys and check before you travel in case your route is affected by any planned improvement works. This is especially important for passengers travelling to Liverpool after Christmas and through the West Midlands the day after the New Year Bank Holiday.”

Summary of the planned engineering works

Birmingham New Street resignalling – from 24 December until 02 January, improvement works are taking place to upgrade signals at Birmingham New Street. This will improve reliability and allow for quicker journey times between Birmingham and Wolverhampton in future.

Liverpool Lime Street – On 27 December, improvement works are continuing to upgrade platforms at Liverpool Lime Street

Improvement works near Rugby – On 27 and 28 December, improvement works are taking place on the line between Northampton and Rugby.

Timetable changes

Birmingham – Wolverhampton 27 December – 2 January

• Buses will replace trains at all local intermediate stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
• A reduced train service will run non-stop between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton via an alternative route
• Passengers are advised to change at Wolverhampton for trains to and from Shrewsbury
• Passengers are advised to leave plenty of time for their connection when changing between bus and train services at Wolverhampton
• A normal service will resume on 3 January

Birmingham – Wolverhampton – Liverpool

• 27 December – an hourly train service will run between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool South Parkway. Change onto Merseyrail services for Liverpool city centre
• 28 December – 2 January – On these dates trains will run non-stop between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street via an alternative route.Buses will replace trains at all local intermediate stations between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
• A normal service will resume on 3 January

Birmingham – Wolverhampton – Shrewsbury 27 December – 2 January

• Trains will run between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury only
• A reduced train service will run non-stop between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton via an alternative route. Buses will replace trains at all local intermediate stops between the two stations
• Passengers are advised to leave plenty of time for their connection when changing between bus and train services at Wolverhampton

• There will be no services between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury on 24 December, 31 December or 1 January as a Sunday level of service will be in operation
• On these dates, Arriva Trains Wales will run trains between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury to an amended timetable
• A normal service will resume on 3 January

Birmingham – Walsall – Rugeley

• Sunday 24 December – Buses will replace trains between Birmingham New Street and Rugeley Trent Valley
• 27 December – 2 January – Trains will run to an amended timetable
• A normal service will resume on 3 January

Lichfield – Birmingham – Redditch

• 27 – 30 December – Trains will run every 20 minutes
• 31 December and 1 January – Trains will run every 30 minutes
• Passengers returning to work on 2 January are reminded that services are expected to be very busy on this day. Trains will run every 20 minutes
• A normal service will resume on 3 January

Birmingham – Northampton – London Euston

• Buses will replace trains between Rugby and Northampton all day on 27 December and until 1200 hours on 28 December
• 27 December – 2 January – A reduced train service will run between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.
• 27 December – 2 January - Trains between Birmingham New Street and London Euston will run to amended timetables
• A normal service will resume on 3 January

For more information about rail travel across the Christmas and New Year Period, please visit www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/upgrades

ENDS

Notes to editors

For further information on West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway call our newsroom on 03300 955150.

About West Midlands Trains

West Midlands Trains Ltd. will be running the West Midlands rail franchise from 10 December 2017 until 2025/6. Abellio has a 70.1% share of the company, East Japan Railway Company (JRE) and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) own the remaining 29.9% in a 50:50 split.

About Abellio
Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Every day our people provide rail, bus and tram services to 1.7m customers across the UK, Germany and in the Netherlands. In the UK we operate buses through Abellio London, as well as ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, and Merseyrail in a joint venture with Serco. In Germany we operate Abellio Deutschland, serving communities in North Rhine Westfalia, Saxony, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Hesse and Thuringia. Our role in transport extends beyond the journey from a-to-b. With our international heritage and our policy of sharing best practice, not just amongst ourselves, but across the wider transport industry, we provide thought leadership and truly innovative ideas which make a positive contribution to the communities we serve. For more information on Abellio visit www.abellio.com

About Mitsui
Mitsui is one of the most diversified and comprehensive trading, investment and service enterprises in the world with 139 offices in 66 countries as of March, 2017. Utilising our global operating locations, network and information resources, we are multilaterally pursuing business that ranges from product sales, worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in the following fields: Iron & Steel Products, Mineral & Metal Resources, Infrastructure Projects, Integrated Transportation Systems, Chemicals, Energy, Food Resources, Food Products & Services, Consumer Services, IT & Communication, and Corporate Development Business. Mitsui is actively taking on challenges for global business innovation around the world. For more information, visit www.mitsui.com .

About JR East
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) was established in 1987, when Japanese National Railways was divided as part of a package of railway reforms. JR East’s railway business covers a 7,500 km (approx. 4,660 miles) network in the eastern part of the Japanese main island, including Tokyo Metropolitan area, and provides transportation services, comprising urban, suburban and high speed operations, for 17 million passengers on a daily basis. JR East also undertakes non‐transport commercial activities, which account for more than 30% of the total revenue of JR East Group. JR East contributes to passengers and communities it serves by delivering high degrees of punctuality, reliability and comfort and also continues to pursue higher levels of safety and service quality through technical innovation. For more information, visit www.jreast.co.jp/e .