Network Rail will be undertaking major upgrades to the West Coast Main Line as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan and to London Euston in readiness of HS2 in spring / summer 2021.
Euston
Two of the lines running into Euston station will close for two six-week periods: 2 April–17 May; and 17 July–31 August. These closures are necessary for the construction of the HS2 London terminus. There will be additional weekend work between April and the end of August.
West Coast Main Line
On the West Coast Main Line there will be major track renewals between Rugby and Birmingham; between Crewe and Warrington; between Preston and Lancaster; and between Carstairs and Carlisle.
Work is also being done on the Bletchley flyover that crosses the West Coast Main Line as part of the East-West Rail project.
James Dean, West Coast South Route Director, Network Rail, said:Our work will make the West Coast main line more reliable for our passengers and pave the way for HS2, which will bring much-needed extra railway capacity.
There is no question such large scale improvements will mean changes for passengers, but we're working with the industry to minimise disruption to passengers as much as possible next year.
We're letting people know many months in advance so none of this comes as a surprise and passengers can stay on the move while we do this vital work.
By combining the upgrade works and the Euston works, service disruption can be kept to a minimum.
Patrick Cawley, Director of On Network Works for HS2 Ltd and Network Rail, said:Investing in HS2 will create additional rail capacity across the existing UK network, providing more local, regional and intercity services. Although some disruption to the current rail service is unavoidable in the short term, in preparation for this we have completed other service upgrades to minimise impact, such as increasing platform lengths at busy stations on the West Coast main line.
