During the week before Christmas, because of major engineering works there will be a major disruption to services on the Bakerloo line and London Overground between Euston and Watford Junction.

Between Saturday, 17th and Friday, 23rd December, major improvements will be carried out along a 20-mile stretch of line in north London. By closing the railway for a week, multiple projects that would otherwise require years of weekend or overnight working can be completed at the same time.

Work to be carried out during the closure includes:

• Replacing 6,000 wooden sleepers dating back to the 1950s with modern concrete ones, which would normally take between 7-8 years of midweek overnight shifts to complete.
• Improving drainage along 1.6km of the line between Harlesden and Kenton.
• Replacing 10km of signal cables, which would normally take an estimated 10 years of work.
• Improving stations at North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, Headstone Lane, and Carpenders Park to clear guttering, carry out roof repairs, renovate canopies, install tactile paving, and resurface platforms.
• Upgrading the electrical power supply for Underground and Overground trains.
• Demolishing a derelict, railway-locked electricity substation in danger of collapse.

During the closure temporary bus routes 718, 719, and 720 will operate between Watford Junction and Harrow & Wealdstone, and between Harrow & Wealdstone and Queen’s Park, with fares the same as standard bus fares, although TfL’s Hopper fare of £1.65 offers unlimited bus journeys made within one hour of touching in.

The closure will also mean that on the Bakerloo line between Elephant & Castle and Queen’s Park fewer trains will be available as there will be no access to one of TfL’s depots. Details of services on the rest of the line are available on TfL Go and at tfl.gov.uk/bakerloo-overground. Passengers can also plan ahead by checking www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.tfl.gov.uk.

London Northwestern Railway services from Watford Junction, Bushey, Harrow & Wealdstone, and Wembley Central will operate as normal.

Betweeen 11th and 19th February next year, the same stretch of lines will be closed for further improvements to stations, track, and lineside equipment.

James Dean, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, said: “We know there’s never an ideal time to close the railway, so I’d like to thank passengers for their understanding in advance while we carry out these significant improvements to the Bakerloo line and London Overground.

“I appreciate that doing this essential work over consecutive days will be disruptive for passengers so I’d urge people to keep in mind the line between Euston and Watford will be closed and to check National Rail Enquiries and TfL for alternative public transport options in and out of the capital.”

Geoff Hobbs, director of public transport service planning for TfL, said: “We’re sorry for any disruption that Network Rail’s essential track renewal work will cause to our customers’ journeys and are working closely with them to minimise the impact. Closures of this type enable work to be carried out which will make customer journeys more reliable in future and are scheduled to take place, where possible, in school holidays when demand on our network is significantly reduced.

“This closure will also be used to carry out improvement works at the stations that are temporarily closed. We advise our customers to use TfL’s Journey Planner or the TfL Go app to plan their journeys in advance during these essential closures.”