Upgrade work will mean delays.

London Midland has finalised details of the alternative travel arrangements that will be put in place for customers travelling between Northampton and London during the May Day bank holiday.

As part of an £81 million investment to improve reliability and punctuality on the West Coast Mainline, Network Rail will be carrying out significant upgrade work from 3rd – 5th May 2014, which means London Midland services will terminate at Hemel Hempstead.

For passengers wishing to travel to stations between Hemel Hempstead and London, replacement coach services will be in operation.

Barrie Cottam, London Midland’s Head of Route for West Coast Mainline services said, “We apologise in advance to our customers for the disruption they will face while these essential works are carried out London Midland will operate rail replacement services whilst this section of the West Coast Mainline is closed.  This will involve coach transfers which will take longer than the normal journey time by rail. I urge passengers to check and plan their journey arrangements in advance before travelling”.

Dyan Crowther, route managing director for Network Rail commented:  “This scheme represents significant investment in the southern end of the West Coast Main Line to improve punctuality and make the railway more reliable. This line has seen tremendous growth in traffic and passengers over the last five years with the section at Watford being one of the most intensively used, high-speed sections of track in the UK. This work is absolutely essential to maintain reliable train services for the thousands of passengers who travel on this route every day.”

Online journey planning information has been amended to reflect the changes that will be in place.  Visitwww.londonmidland.com/Watford  for more information on alternative travel arrangements.  For further details about the improvement works programme visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/Watford.