A railway bridge in Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire which carries the Midland Mainline over the B530 Ampthill Road will see a £1.5 million strengthening programme get underway this March.

The project will see Network Rail engineers undertake the vast project including the strengthening of the steel girders and bridge deck alongside the improvement to drainage and guttering on the bridge which is expected to take five months to complete.

The bridge sees millions of rail passengers rely on it every year whilst making their way between Luton and Bedford or further afield. The essential strengthening work will see more reliable, on-time journeys for passengers and will also require less maintenance over the next ten-year period.

The programme of work will see major all-line disruption between Mill Hill Broadway and Bedford on Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of April in order for the work to be carried out safely, during this period, no trains will be able to run.

Network Rail has organised for the majority of the work to take place through the night which will keep disruption to a minimum over the 1st and 2nd of April, however, further work on overhead power lines, track and signals on the same stretch of railway will also take place and will see:

• No trains operating south of Bedford for East Midlands Railway passengers
• Rail replacement bus services in operation from Bedford across to the East Coast Main Line at Hitchin for onward train travel to Kings Cross
• No Thameslink service between Bedford and Mill Hill Broadway
• A limited Thameslink service from Mill Hill Broadway to and through central London
• Extensive rail replacement bus services for stations between Mill Hill Broadway and Bedford, including extra bus services for connections across to the East Coast Main Line at Hitchin and Potters Bar.

Detailed travel information for Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of April:

East Midlands Railway:

• Trains will start and terminate at Bedford.
• A replacement bus service will be in operation between Bedford and Hitchin to connect with Thameslink services in London St Pancras International.
• Journey times will be extended and trains are expected to be busier than usual.

Thameslink:

Replacement buses will run between:

• Mill Hill Broadway and Luton.
• Luton and Bedford.

To make a connection with alternative Great Northern or Thameslink trains to or from London, the following replacement buses will run between:

• Bedford and Hitchin.
• Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin via Luton.
• Harpenden to Potters Bar via St Albans.

Trains will run between:

• Mill Hill Broadway and Brighton
• West Hampstead Thameslink and Three Bridges on Saturday only
• Kentish Town and Rainham
• West Hampstead Thameslink and Sutton via Wimbledon on Saturday only – on Sunday trains will run between West Hampstead Thameslink and Wimbledon via Sutton
• London Blackfriars and Sutton via Mitcham Junction (on Saturday only)

Passengers are reminded that Mill Hill Broadway is not a step-free station – anyone requiring step-free access can:

• Change at West Hampstead Thameslink where staff will help you
• Speak to a member of the station staff where you start your journey
• Contact the Thameslink Assisted Travel team on 0800 058 2844

Passengers are strongly advised to “check before you travel” on the above-mentioned dates via nationalrail.co.uk

The B530 Ampthill Road will see closures on the following dates in order to keep both drivers and pedestrians safe whilst the project is underway:

• From 11pm on Saturday the 25th to 7am on Sunday the 26th of March
• From 4pm on Saturday the 1st to 5am on Monday the 3rd of April
• From 11pm on Saturday the 15th to 7am on Sunday the 16th of April
• From 11pm on Saturday the 22nd to 7am on Sunday the 23rd of April
• From 11pm on Saturday the 29th to 7am on Sunday the 30th of April
• From 6am on Monday the 8th of May to 5pm on Friday the 14th of July

During the programme of work, a signed diversion will be in operation via A6 Wixams Bypass, Wilstead Bypass, Ampthill to Maulden Bypass and Hazelwood Lane. Drivers are advised to check their route with One.Network ahead of leaving for a journey.

Steve Hopkinson, Operations Director for Network Rail said:  “This is an important investment to help passengers rely on us to get them to where they need to be on time right along the Midland Main Line. It’ll help to drive down delays and avoid major maintenance work at this location for the next decade.

“To keep people and passengers safe, we will need to close the road and the railway at times over the next five months. We have worked with the council to plan a diversion to keep people moving, but I’m sorry to anybody who is inconvenienced by this.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Thameslink said: “We really appreciate that this closure of the line between Bedford and Mill Hill Broadway will be very disruptive for our customers, which is why we’re keen to work with Network Rail and other operators on the route to make sure people know it’s coming up.

“Please plan ahead by visiting nationalrail.co.uk and see what buses you’ll need to take to complete your journey, and then check again before you set off.”

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director for EMR said: “We are asking any customers planning to travel to or from London on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 April to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to complete their journey.

“Rail Replacement buses will run between Bedford and Hitchin, where customers can connect to Thameslink services to London.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst the engineering work along the Midland Main Line is taking place.”