Network Rail are delivering essential railway upgrades between Milton Keynes and London during the Easter period.
From Friday 3 - Wednesday 8 April, LNR trains will not operate between Milton Keynes Central – London Euston.
Engineers will carry out a large programme of improvements to modernise ageing railway infrastructure, increase reliability and support future growth on Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway.
The journey improving work includes:
- £8.4m of essential track work will take place at Willesden including the renewal of switches and crossings and installing new railway foundation stone (ballast).
- A bridge in Ledburn, just south of Leighton Buzzard will see a £6.6m investment in waterproofing the bridge to prevent future damage to the structure. Engineers will also complete over £7m of signalling upgrades nearby, which will help to reduce failures and improve the reliability of journeys.
- Over £8m will be spent on a renewal of overhead line equipment near Wembley to enhance safety and power resilience.
- £2m of enabling works will be carried out in Bushey as part of a project to upgrade the power supply that keeps trains moving in and out of London.
- Harrow & Wealdstone station will see a £5.8m investment in repairs to the station canopies and platform upgrades.
You can find a full summary of service changes and alternative travel arrangements for this period below.
- Customers travelling between Milton Keynes and London, including connecting journeys, are advised to travel via rail replacement buses between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford, connecting with East Midlands Railway/Thameslink services to London St Pancras, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted.
- Journeys via this route will be faster and more frequent than alternative routes.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Milton Keynes Central and Potters Bar (via Watford Junction) for customers travelling to and from intermediate stations.
- At Potters Bar, customers will be able to travel on connecting Great Northern and Thameslink services to and from London King's Cross, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted.
- Rail replacement buses will operate on the Abbey line between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey.
- Customers can also make their own way to Wellingborough for East Midlands Railway services to London St Pancras, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted.
- Customers travelling between Milton Keynes and London, including connecting journeys, are advised to travel via rail replacement buses between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford, connecting with East Midlands Railway/Thameslink services to London St Pancras, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted
- Journeys via this route will be faster and more frequent than alternative routes.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Milton Keynes Central - Kings Langley - Watford Junction (calling at intermediate stations)
- At Watford Junction, customers will be able to travel on connecting London Overground services to London Euston, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted.
- Rail replacement buses will operate between Milton Keynes Central - Kings Langley - Potters Bar (calling at intermediate stations).
- At Potters Bar, customers will be able to travel on connecting Great Northern and Thameslink services to and from London King's Cross, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted.
- Rail replacement buses will operate on the Abbey line between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey.
- London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted on London Underground services from Harrow & Wealdstone towards London stations.
- Customers can also make their own way to Wellingborough, Bedford or Luton for East Midlands Railway/Thameslink services to London St Pancras, where London Northwestern Railway tickets will be accepted.
- Wednesday 8 April only: Services on the Marston Vale line will start/terminate at Platform 6 at Bletchley station. As this platform is only accessible by stairs, no passenger assistance can be provided. An accessible minibus will operate between Fenny Stratford and Bletchley station to connect into Marston Vale line services.
Travel Advice
- Given the disruption, we recommend that you plan to travel before Friday 3 April or after Wednesday 8 April wherever possible.
- If you must travel to/from London from Milton Keynes or further north, we recommend that you use rail replacement services between Milton Keynes – Bedford and make onward connections via East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services to London St Pancras.
- If you’re travelling to/from intermediate stations between Milton Keynes – London Euston, check your journey times, as connections from Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton or Potters Bar might provide faster journey opportunities.
- Other operators’ services are also impacted by this engineering work; Avanti West Coast will also be operating joint rail replacement bus services between Milton Keynes – Bedford. Visit nationalrail.co.uk for more info.
Ticket Acceptance
- Valid tickets for travel to/from London will be accepted on rail replacement buses.
- Your ticket will also be accepted for use on the following routes:
- East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services between Bedford – London St Pancras (Friday 3 - Wednesday 8 April)
- East Midlands Railway services between Wellingborough – London St Pancras (Friday 3 - Wednesday 8 April)
- Great Northern and Thameslink services between Potters Bar - London King's Cross (Friday 3 - Wednesday 8 April)
- East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services between Luton– London St Pancras (Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 April only)
- London Overground services between Watford Junction - London Euston (Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 April only)
- London Underground services between Harrow & Wealdstone - Paddington (Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 April only)
Rail Replacement Bus Locations
- Directional videos displaying walking routes to our rail replacement bus locations are detailed below:
Rail Replacement Bus Information
In times of disruption or during planned engineering works, we may run rail replacement services instead of a train.
Due to the timetables that the rail replacement services operate, there may be an extended wait at a station to allow passengers to join at that station. Journeys may also take longer and unforeseen delays such as road closures and traffic can occur, so please allow extra time for your journey.
You will need a valid rail ticket to travel on a rail replacement service. All of the vehicles that we use are fully accessible and will display the destination of travel and the wording 'rail replacement'.
Large items of luggage and non-folding bicycles are not permitted onboard rail replacement services. Animals are not permitted on rail replacement buses (except for assistance animals).
Food and drink may be taken onboard, however, this is at the driver's discretion. Toilets may be available onboard, although there may not be step-free access to these facilities.
As per the National Rail conditions of travel, if you’re claiming compensation due to a delay to your rail replacement journey , your compensation will be determined by the time difference between the actual time of arrival at your destination and the arrival time as published in the published timetable of the day.
- For more information on rail replacement services, click here.