West Coast main line and Euston HS2 upgrades spring/summer 2021

A programme of major upgrades will be taking place on the railway between London Euston and Scotland over Spring and Summer 2021.

The work, part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan and HS2 Phase One, will make passengers’ journeys more reliable and ease pressure on the West Coast main line by adding more railway capacity.

More information about the impact of this work on local timetables will be available closer to the time.

What’s happening?

Two lines into Euston station will be taken out of service for two six-week periods – 2 April to 17 May and 17 July to 31 August – to enable the new HS2 terminus to be built. Weekend work will also take place between April and the end of August.

Most train services will continue running while this work takes place, but there will be some timetable and platform alterations.

Other essential rail upgrades are planned over the Easter, Early May, Spring and August bank holiday weekends, which in 2021 fall on:

• 2 – 5 April (Easter bank holiday)
• 4 April – 4 June (Scotland rail renewal work over 10 weekends)
• 1 – 3 May (early May bank holiday)
• 29 – 31 May (late May bank holiday)
• 28 – 30 August (Summer bank holiday).

These upgrades include:

• Major track renewals between Rugby – Birmingham, Crewe – Warrington, Preston – Lancaster and Carstairs – Carlisle
• Further work on the Bletchley flyover – part of the East-West Rail project.

This means stations and trains between Euston and Scotland may be busier, services will change, journeys may take longer and in some instances, buses will replace trains.

Improving infrastructure along the West Coast mainline and at Euston is vital to improving services and providing a safe, reliable railway. Euston is a major interchange station and the gateway to the UK’s busiest mixed-use passenger and freight rail route.

Why is this work happening over Spring / Summer 2021?

The rail industry has worked closely to combine the Euston work and other West Coast rail upgrades as much as possible to minimise disruption to passengers. By carrying out the work over longer periods of time, it will be completed more quickly. This means there will be less passenger disruption.

This is one of the most complex infrastructure changes to take place at Euston and represents one of the biggest ever investments in the station.