Avanti West Coast Services Diverted as West Coast Main Line Closes
Network Rail will close the west coast mainline between London Euston and Milton Keynes for six days of engineering work, disrupting travel over the Easter bank holiday and affecting thousands of passengers. Tuesday at 9: 14 a. m. ET — the closure runs from Good Friday (3 April) to Wednesday 8 April and means services operated by avanti west coast will be diverted or replaced, creating route changes for long-distance travellers.
Avanti West Coast Route Changes and Diversions
avanti west coast will run services between Preston and Carlisle the Settle-Carlisle line during the Easter shutdown, providing an alternative for some northbound passengers. Anglo-Scottish services will be diverted Dumfries and Kilmarnock between Good Friday and Easter Monday, and there will be no service between Preston and Lancaster on 4-5 April, forcing timetable adjustments and replacement transport on affected segments.
Willesden, Harrow and Ledburn Work on £400m West Coast Scheme
The six-day work forms part of a £400 million project intended to increase reliability on the West Coast Main Line, with new track to be laid at Willesden in north London. Harrow and Wealdstone station will receive repairs and platform and canopy upgrades, while a bridge at Ledburn in Buckinghamshire will be given extra protection to prevent future damage.
Network Rail Schedules More Than 270 Upgrade Projects Over Easter
More than 270 upgrade projects will be carried out across Great Britain during the Easter period, with thousands of engineers deployed over bank holiday timings chosen because they are among the least busy times to close lines. Jake Kelly, the body’s regional director for the north-west and central region, said, “The four-day period at Easter gives us a valuable opportunity to complete projects that simply can’t be delivered during a normal weekend. “
Network Rail previously closed the west coast mainline for four days over the Easter break last year, and this year’s extended programme covers additional work such as signalling improvements and overhead power equipment upgrades. Some routes affected by the schedule will be diverted and replacement buses will operate where trains cannot run, creating longer journeys for passengers on certain corridors.
Passengers planning travel over the bank holiday are advised to check before they travel because services between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction will be reduced, and there will be no trains between Winchester and Southampton in Hampshire or between Herne Bay and Ramsgate in Kent during the same period. Those changes run alongside the west coast mainline closures and the wider programme of works.
Services on the west coast mainline are scheduled to resume on Thursday 9 April; passengers should plan for altered connections and allow extra time for diverted routes on that date. More details on specific service alterations and replacement arrangements are expected before travel dates.
