Planning a pre-Christmas weekend trip to London by train from Corby, Kettering or Wellingborough? You might need to think again

Travellers planning pre-Christmas trips from Corby, Kettering or Wellingborough to London by train have been warned to think again on three key weekends in November and December.

East Midlands Railway services will stop at Luton while Network Rail carries out upgrade work on lines to the capital.

Dates earmarked for the work include two Saturdays and two Sundays in November — including Remembrance Sunday — with “very limited” services on the second weekend in December.

Neil Grabham, East Midlands Railway customer services director, said: “We are asking any customers planning to travel to or from London over these three weekends to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to complete their journeys.

“We have a reduced train service operating on both our Intercity route and our Connect route and rail replacement buses will be in place between Luton and Hitchin in both directions. Full details can be found on the EMR website.

“We would like to thank our passengers for their patience while the engineering work along the Midland Main Line is taking place.”

Network Rail says major investment to upgrade the railway between London and Luton will reach a key milestone as a trio of flagship projects – the new Brent Cross West station, a new footbridge at St Albans City and upgraded overhead power lines south of Bedford – will all work together to offer a better service for passengers.

A spokesman added that to the vast scale and complexity of the upgrades, some work can only be done while there are no trains running, affecting services on November 5 and 6, November 12 and 13 and December 10 and 11.

Details will be available in journey planners closer to these dates; passengers should plan ahead and check with National Rail or their train operator before they travel.

The main rail unions involved in strikes have yet to announce further dates for industrial action — although a 48-hour walkout on Monday (October 17) by Unite members working in EMR depots is likely to affect services from Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough.