No train service on Abbey and Marston Vale branch lines today

Friday, 20 March 2020

London Northwestern Railway passengers are advised that rail replacement bus services will be in operation on the Abbey and Marston Vale branch lines today (Friday) due to a shortage of available train crew.

With several staff members unavailable to work due to self-isolating against COVID-19, the operator has had to focus resource on the core West Coast Main Line routes to and from London Euston.

Replacement buses will be in operation on both routes, serving:

• Stations between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey (Abbey Line)
• Stations between Bedford and Bletchley (Marston Vale Line)

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said:

"We apologise to our customers on the Abbey and Marston Vale Lines that in these challenging times we cannot run a train service for them today. Along with every employer in the country, we are feeling the effects of COVID-19 and we must use our resources in the most effective way possible.

"While passenger numbers are significantly down due to COVID-19, we know there are still many thousands of people, including vital public service workers, who still need to travel. Passengers can be assured we are developing contingency plans to allow us to run a regular, reliable and robust service over coming weeks and months."

For the latest travel information, visit www.lnr.uk/plan or follow @LNRailway on Twitter.

About West Midlands Trains

For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email [email protected]

West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.

• London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.

• West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.

For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.

West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 80 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.

The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com

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