East Midlands Railway are advising customers of national strike action and major engineering work which will see train services limited during November and into early December.

The industrial action is set to impact rail services between Saturday the 5th and Thursday the 10th of November with trains expected to begin operating later or finish earlier than usual on days between strikes.

Saturday the 5th of November:

• No trains operating south of Luton with rail replacement buses running between Luton and Hitchin.
• East Midlands will run a reduced service between Luton and Corby, Nottingham, Sheffield and Bedford
• Thameslink will operate a limited shuttle between Luton and Bedford.

Monday the 7th and Wednesday the 9th of November:

• Industrial action will see a significantly reduced timetable in operation throughout the region
• Services will only operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm
• Some routes will be closed

Rail passengers are advised that they should only travel during strike action if it is completely necessary. Those who do need to travel will need to check their travel plans ahead and check the last train time of the day via National Rail Enquiries. Customers who do intend to travel should expect extreme disruption.

Three major engineering projects by Network Rail will also impact rail services for passengers during November as the building of the new Brent Cross West station, a new footbridge for St Alban’s City station and the upgrade of overhead power lines south of Bedford are carried out.

The engineering work will mean that no passenger services are able to run between London St. Pancras and Luton on:

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of November:

Customers are advised to visit their rail operator’s website for up-to-date travel advice:

• East Midlands Railway – Strike information | EMR (eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk)
• Thameslink – Thameslink – Industrial action (thameslinkrailway.com)

Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of November:

East Midlands Railway:

• Services will start and terminate at Luton
• Rail replacement bus services will operate between Luton and Hitchin

Thameslink will see rail replacement buses in operation as follows:

• Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink (calling at all stations via Harpenden)
• Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin (via Luton) for connections with alternative Thameslink or Great Northern services to/from central London
• Harpenden and Potters Bar for connections with alternative Thameslink or Great Northern services to/from central London

Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of December:

• Will see an extremely limited Luton service in operation.

Further work to the new Brent Cross West station alongside an overhead power line upgrade and a track renewal at Elstree will take all take place on Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th of December and will impact services between Luton and Cricklewood.

Passengers who use St Albans City station during this stage of the project will have to use a diversion via Hatfield Road in order to switch platforms.

Ridgemont Road car park will also be closed from the 31st of October to the 11th of November and drivers are advised to seek alternate parking and to speak to staff at the station should they require assistance.

Cyclists are also advised that the bike parking facility in Ridgmont Road car park will also be closed. Both cyclists and motorcyclists are able to use bike parking facilities on Station Way.

There will be no electric vehicle charging points available.

Taxis are only able to pick up from Victoria Street.

Gary Walsh, East Midlands Route Director for Network Rail said: “I’m really sorry to passengers who will be impacted by this latest round of strike action. Our fully qualified backup staff are stepping up wherever they can to continue to run as many trains as possible, but there will inevitably be some significant disruption between Saturday 5 and Thursday 10 November.

“We’re also at a crucial stage in several projects which will deliver better journeys and improved stations for passengers travelling on the southern end of the Midland Main Line. I’m sorry that this will further disrupt journeys.

“Our best advice is to plan ahead, check before you travel with National Rail or your train operator, and to only travel by train if it’s absolutely necessary on strike days.”