Easter rail chaos as UK’s busiest train line to shut in just HOURS for £400million upgrade
THE UK’s busiest train line is just hours away from being shut down as Network Rail looks to complete essential upgrades.
Commuters will not be able to use the route for six days starting tomorrow.
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) service between London Euston and Milton Keynes will be paused from April 3 to April 8.
The line closure is part of a £400million project by Network Rail to make upgrades to the line.
New tracks will be laid out in Willesden, north-west London, with Harrow and Wealdstone station getting repairs and upgrades.
A bridge in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire will also be receiving additional waterproofing to prevent further damage.
More than £7million will be spent on signal upgrades to help reduce failures and improve the reliability of journeys.
Network Rail described WCML as “Britain’s economic backbone”, connecting major cities with “thousands of trains and tonnes of goods every day”.
It said that parts of the line could not manage the service’s more recent demands and needed investment to prevent disruptions.
The network owner said it would provide replacement buses between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford or Potters Bar for passengers to get trains to reach central London.
The WCML operator, Avanti, has warned commuters that its train lines are expected to be busy and has lifted peak restrictions for today.
Normal services on WCML are expected to resume on April 9.