Between August and October this year, Chiltern Railways services between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough and Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville will be severely disrupted,

The Chiltern Mainline will undergo two stages of improvement works by Network Rail. The first stage involves permanently repairing a Victorian drainage culvert under the railway in Aylesbury, which was damaged in March, and has caused frequent unplanned closures of the line.

To prevent further disruption, the culvert will be repaired during a ten-day railway closure from Monday, the 7th to Friday, the 18th of August, which will affect all trains between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough and Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville.

Rail-replacement buses will be provided, running between Amersham, Great Missenden, Wendover, Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury, and Aylesbury Vale Parkway where connections can be made to London Underground services.

Immediately afterwards, from Saturday, 19th August until Monday, 30th October, Network Rail and HS2 will move and replace more than a mile of track and signalling equipment on the Chiltern Mainline south of Aylesbury to make way for the new HS2 line that will pass underneath the Chiltern line.

During this time, there will be no train services between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough, with a rail-replacement bus service operating instead between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough, calling at Little Kimble and Monks Risborough.

For updates and details of alternative travel arrangements during the closures, passengers should check before they travel at www.chilternrailways.co.uk and www.nationalrail.co.uk

Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “We know there’s never a convenient time to close the railway and we’re sorry to passengers in Buckinghamshire who have already suffered from short-notice closures of the line between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury for several months.

“When completed, this vital work will mean more reliable journeys for passengers travelling between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough on a railway that’s fit for the future.”

Jacqueline Dey, Chiltern Railways’ operations director, said: “The damaged culvert has led to numerous short-notice cancellations this year, and we are pleased that a permanent fix will be in place before the end of the summer. Customers should be mindful that Network Rail and HS2 works will close the railway between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury for a further ten weeks after these repairs, with the line reopening again on Monday 30 October. Rail replacement buses will be in operation during this time, and customers should check before they travel.

“We know that this is a significant, long-term closure, but we are confident that the railway between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury will be more reliable as a result of these important works. We will be working with industry partners to keep residents informed before and throughout the closure, and thank customers for their patience while these works are completed.”

Patrick Cawley, director for ‘On Network Works’ for Network Rail and HS2, said: “I’d like to thank passengers in Buckinghamshire for their patience this year while we carry out this vital phase of work between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough to prepare for the new high-speed railway.

“HS2 will transform journeys between London, the Midlands and the North, providing zero-carbon journeys from day one and also making space on the existing railway network for more freight and local services.

“To help reduce disruption we’ve worked with our rail industry partners to combine closures needed for two major pieces of work on this route. We’re asking passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk”