Want to travel by train during Easter in the UK? Good luck with that…

As Easter time draws closer, people are thinking about ways to go and see loved ones for the four day weekend in the UK (yes, we get Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off. It’s rather civilised).

Virgin Trains and London Midland – two of the operators affected by engineering work. Image, Economy Class and Beyond.

However, it seems that Network Rail is making sure that their disruption over the Easter period is pretty big with four main routes in and out of London affected.

• Heathow Express and Heathrow Connect are operating, but are both subject to changes in services.
• London Euston – Watford area (covered by Virgin Trains, London Midland, between 3rd April and 6th April) will be closed to allow for major works to be carried out. This impact the West Coast Main Line, connecting London to the West Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, The North West of England and Glasgow. There are recommend changes for those who need to travel:
  • Passengers from/to Glasgow should travel via Edinburgh for Virgin Trains East Coast services to London Kings Cross
  • Passengers from/to Birmingham should travel with Chiltern Railways between Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone
  • Passengers from/to The Lake District, the North West and Manchester area use a combination of Virgin Trains, First TransPennine and Northern Rail services to travel via Sheffield for East Midlands Trains services to London St Pancras
  • Passengers from/to Liverpool/Runcorn/Stafford and Tamworth use a combination of Virgin Trains, London Midland and CrossCountry services to travel via Nuneaton and Leicester for East Midlands Trains services to London St Pancras
  • London Midland services between London Euston and Tring / Milton Keynes Central / Northampton will not run, with rail replacement bus services offered
• Greater Anglia/Anglia Main Line/Southend Line will be closed between London Liverpool Street andIngatestone (Operated byAbellio Greater Anglia Easter Sunday April 5th, Easter Monday April 6th).
  • Passengers who are travelling/arriving north of Ingatestone for services to from Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Braintree, Clacton, note trains will operate to Ingatestone only. You will need to change to a bus which will take you to Newbury Park and then an Underground service to London.
  • Southend Victoria to London services will operate up to Wickford, where you will need to change to a bus which will take you to Newbury Park and then an Underground service to London.
  • Local Passengers between Shenfield and Romford – again, bus to Newbury Park and Underground service to London
  • Local Passengers between Romford and Stratford will need to switch to London Buses
• SouthEastern Services will be changed to allow work onThameslink as well fixing issues in the East Kent area:
  • Services to/from London Cannon Street and London Charing Cross will be diverted to/from London Blackfriars or London Victoria.
  • Services between London and Hastings will be run to/from London Bridge and be diverted via East Croydon and Redhill
  • Trains will be diverted on certain routes
  • Replacement bus services will run to/from stations where there are no trains
• First Great Western (operating from London Paddington) will be hit hard Friday 3 and Monday 6 April 12 April the railway will be closed between Hayes &Harlington andDidcot Parkway via Reading. Changes and Diversions will be in operation
  • South Wales (Cardiff / Swansea), and Bristol Temple Meads, to London services will be diverted via the Chiltern Railways lines and Banbury, extending journey times
  • West Of England to London services (Penzance / Plymouth / Exeter) will run to/from London Waterloo instead of London Paddington
  • Cheltenham Spa / Worcester to London services will run to/from Didcot Parkway only, passengers can connect at Swindon / Oxford
  • Reading to London journeys should be made using South West Trains services to and from London Waterloo
  • CrossCountry trains are replaced by buses between Didcot Parkway and Winchester.
  • No train services will run on the Greenford, Windsor & Eton, Marlow and Henley-on-Thames branches, nor at Acton Main Line, West Ealing or Hanwell. Use Transport for London services instead.
• Other parts of the Rail Network maybe closed or have restrictions on services. Check the National Rail site for details

Network Rail advise that you should leave on the Thursday before Easter and return on the Tuesday after to skip the pain of the engineering works. Which in an ideal world is wonderful. However, we live in a real world, and most of us I suspect can’t afford two days of annual leave to satisfy Network Rails whims of closing down parts of the network.

As usual, plan ahead and check the routes you’re travelling on the National Rail Enquiries site, and the disruptions at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/90175.aspx

Sadly, I suspect I know what my plans will be – and they’ll involve me and a Toyota Aygo crossing the country as opposed to me taking it easy and taking the train….

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