Easter travel chaos as engineering works shut Northampton-London Euston train lines over bank holiday

Network Rail is warning that no services will run south of Milton Keynes on Easter Saturday (April 19), Sunday and Monday while rail replacement buses will shuttle passengers between Northampton and MK on Sunday and Monday as engineers work to complete the rail link to the SEGRO Logistics Park.

Operator London Northwestern Railway says the closure will allow commissioning of a complex new signalling system allowing rail freight from the park to connect with the West Coast Main Line. The facility, being built by Winvic Construction Ltd on the edge of town, adjacent to junction 15 of the M1, is due for completion in 2028 and aims to create around 7,500 jobs.

Passengers who must travel on those days face a tortuous 2hr 20min journey to the capital involving a bus connection between Milton Keynes and Bedford.

A reduced timetable in operation between Northampton and London on Good Friday, April 18, may also affect Cobblers supporters travelling to the club’s League One fixture at Charlton. Engineering work, including the renewal of overhead lines, switches and crossings and drainage improvements will mean London’s Euston station will be closed from Saturday until Tuesday morning.

Network Rail’s head of Euston station operations, Amanda Webster-Uz, said: “There’s a lot of great work happening over the Easter bank holiday to improve the reliability and safety of the railway for passengers and freight. We know some of this will be disruptive but bank holidays remain the least busy time for carrying out complex upgrades.

“I’d like to urge passengers to plan ahead at and recommend those planning journeys to or from London Euston, travel either side of the Easter weekend to avoid longer journeys and some bus replacement services.”

Northbound services between Northampton and Birmingham and East Midlands Railway trains to London from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough are expected to run largely as normal but passengers are being advised to check their journeys in advance with their train operator or via www.nationalrail.co.uk/spring.