More work to hit rail travel this weekend on Midland Main Line

Rail passengers are being warned to plan and check for journey information before travelling this weekend while the multi-million-pound Midland Main Line upgrades continue. Since April, Network Rail teams have been working on Sunday nights to replace existing overhead power cables for trains between Bedford and Luton.

This weekend will see several big jobs taking place, affecting the line at multiple locations on both Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, with fewer trains to and from London and some parts of the trip involving rail replacement bus services. The track will have to close completely while overhead power cables are installed between Kettering and Wigston this weekend, while old power lines will be replaced further south.

When it's finally done, the upgrade will help provide faster, more reliable, quieter and more environmentally-friendly train services. But until then, the work will lead to further problems for people heading towards London from Leicestershire stations.

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Gavin Crook, Network Rail East Midlands Route principal programme sponsor, said: “I’d like to thank people for their patience while we make the Midland Main Line better and greener for the future. We always try to plan our work at the quietest times which is why recently we’ve been concentrating on Sunday nights, but this latest phase of work is more complicated so we will need to use both Saturday and Sunday to complete our work.

“We’re working closely with train operators so we can keep people on the move, and our advice is to plan ahead and check National Rail Enquiries so they know exactly what to expect from their journey."

Dave Meredith, customer services director for EMR, which runs trains on the Midland Main Line, said: “We are advising customers planning to travel to or from London next weekend, 18 and 19 May, to check their journeys in advance by looking for updates on the EMR website.

“Engineering work will affect EMR services and customers should expect longer journey times with rail replacement buses and amended timetables in place. We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst the engineering work to electrify the Midland Main Line takes place.

"This work will greatly benefit our customers in the future with more reliable, quicker journeys to and from London.”

For more information on the Midland Main Line upgrade click here. For the latest timetables, visit the National Rail Enquiries website here.