As we race towards the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend (7th-10th April), it is of course the perfect time for the rail network to carry out renewal works.
The big hotspots
There are four major pieces of work going on during the Bank Holiday weekend.
- London Euston will be closed over the entire period, with the West Coast Main Line closed between Milton Keynes Central and Euston, impacting services operated by Avanti West Coast, London North Western Railway and Caledonian Sleeper.
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- Replacement buses will run between Milton Keynes and Bedford, and between Kettering and Rugby. You should use other train services between Kettering / Bedford and London St Pancras International operated my EMR or Thameslink to St Pancras
- The Caledonian Sleeper be diverted to operate from Kings Cross, with service and calling pattern changes.
- London Victoria will be partially closed.
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- No Gatwick Express Services will operate. Use Thameslink/Southern Services from London Bridge instead.
- Southern Services are operating but not terminating at Victoria, with diversions in some cases and in other cases Bus replacement services
- Tunbridge Wells – Hastings: The lines will be closed throughout the Easter weekend, and afterwards until Sunday 16 April
- Southeastern Services are heavily impacted, with bus replacement services
London Airports
As noted the Gatwick Express is not operating, and you will need to use Thameslink/Southern Services from London Bridge instead.
Heathrow Express is planning to operate a normal service, whilst the Elizabeth Line will operate through the core to Abbey Wood. Elizabeth Line trains from Shenfied will be diverted to Liverpool Street.
Stansted Express will also operate, along with the Luton Airport Express, however, expect congestion on these services.
But that’s not all
Going through the updates that Nationa Rail has provided, there appears to be a lot of other work going on the rail network over the long weekend, with the Early May Bank Holiday suffering similar works, with regionalised works, as well as line closures that will impact your plans. Some examples include:
- Various line closures on the Great Eastern Line. affecting Greater Anglia services
- Train diversions on certain parts of the network (eg Carstairs, Reading – Basingstoke)
- Various other services are being replaced with a bus replacement service
If you’re planning to travel by rail, you must check and plan ahead.
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