A warning has been issued to households across the UK ahead of the upcoming bank holiday in August. People who are planning to travel by train on Monday, August 25, are being warned to check their routes before setting off as some journeys may be disrupted. Network Rail says the vast majority of its network will be running over the bank holiday weekend, but engineering works will be taking place on some routes to provide essential upgrades.
The rail firm says works on some parts of its network are “unavoidable” and so passengers are advised to check their journeys in advance as some routes will be diverted or have extended journey times, and others will have rail replacement buses instead. The main Network Rail routes that will be disrupted over the August bank holiday include London King’s Cross and Peterborough, London Victoria and Dartford, and Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street.
There will be no-long distance services between London King’s Cross and Peterborough on Sunday, August 24, due to works for the East Coast Digital Programme and maintenance works between Peterborough and Potters Bar. Buses will be in place between Peterborough and Bedford for onward travel.
Re-signalling work in the Lewisham area means there will be no Southeastern services from London Victoria to Dartford on Sunday, August 24 and Monday, August 25. Rail replacement buses will be in place instead between New Cross and Dartford via Bexleyheath, and ticket acceptance will be in place between Bank and Lewisham.
Track renewals at Garrison Street and Tyseley from Saturday, August 23 to Monday, August 25 means rail replacement buses will be in place between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street. Avanti and CrossCountry services will be diverted with extended journey times, and London Northwestern services will terminate at Birmingham International.
Buses will also replace trains on the lines surrounding Guildford between Saturday, August 23 and Monday, August 25 due to engineering improvements on the South Western Railway network. The lines connecting Ascot, Guildford and Alton will be closed throughout the weekend, while the line linking Surbiton and Effingham Junction will also see no passenger train services.
Rail replacement buses will also replace trains between Kew Bridge and Barnes on the South Western Railway network between Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 31.
Helen Hamlin, Network Rail’s chief network operator, said: “With the August bank holiday weekend approaching, we’ve carefully planned our engineering work to minimise disruption, allowing people to rely on the railway and make the most of the late summer bank holiday weekend.
“While the vast majority of the railway will be running, works on some parts of the network are unfortunately unavoidable, as we complete major work to support a better, more reliable railway that we wouldn’t be able to complete in a normal weekend. So, we’re asking passengers to check their journeys in advance to ensure their route isn’t affected.”