Major work to protect the West Coast mainline is to be carried out between the 4-12th of January.

Passengers wanting to travel between Milton Keynes and Rugby are encouraged to plan their journeys ahead of time while the work takes place.

The work taking place will reduce the risk of flooding along the line through drainage upgrades that will avert heavy rain from flooding the line. These improvements should make the route more reliable for both passengers and freight.

During the upgrades, train journeys will take an extra 25 minutes, as trains are to be rerouted via Northampton to avoid the drainage work.

Fewer services will be run between Crewe and Euston and passengers will need to change trains at Rugby.

Passengers are encouraged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk and plan prior to traveling.

James Dean, Network Rail‘s West Coast South route director, said: “This major work on the West Coast main line is vital to protect it from the risk of future flooding. We always try to do our work with the least disruption to passengers as possible, and during this project we can keep people on the move by using a diversionary route. However, there will be fewer services, longer journey times and some passengers may need to change trains, so I’d urge people to please check National Rail Enquiries before they travel.”

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “This essential maintenance will improve the reliability of our rail infrastructure and reduce the likelihood of delays in the future. I urge customers to plan their rail travel in advance during the West Coast Main Line work near Milton Keynes in January when some journeys will take longer.”

Gus Dunster, executive director of operations and safety at Avanti West Coast, said: “As Network Rail carry out essential works near Milton Keynes in January, there’ll be changes to our services and extended journey times to and from London Euston. We strongly recommend you make a reservation, plan your journey in advance as well as check the National Rail Enquiries website before travelling.”