Disruption to services on the Midland Main Line is expected on weekends for the next two months as work continues on the Midland Main Line Upgrade project.

South of Bedford, Network Rail engineers will be upgrading the overhead line equipment, while between Kettering and Wigston work will continue with electrifying the line.

The work is to allow engineers to upgrade overhead line equipment south of Bedford to allow trains to run at 125mph in the future. When the works are complete, passengers will benefit from more-reliable, faster, quieter, and greener journeys on new electric and bi-mode.

Weekends of 20/21 January and 10/11 February:

• Between Luton and Bedford buses will replace trains after 23.40 on Saturday nights and from 08.00 Sunday on the Sunday mornings.
• Between these hours trains will be replaced by rail replacement bus services.

Weekend of Saturday/Sunday 27/28 January:

• Between Luton and Bedford buses will replace trains.
• A train shuttle service will operate between London St Pancras and Luton, calling at Luton Airport Parkway.
• East Midlands Railway northbound services will start from Bedford and run to an amended timetable.
• On Saturday, 28 January, Thameslink Bedford to Horsham services will only run between London Bridge and Horsham.

Sunday 4 February

• No trains will call at Market Harborough.
• A rail replacement bus service will operate between Leicester, Market Harborough, and Kettering.
• A reduced train service will be in place from Sheffield and Nottingham to London St Pancras, with a diversion around the engineering work.

Anyone intending to travel over the affected weekends should check their journeys before travelling with National Rail Enquiries or their train operator.

Gavin Crook, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail’s East Midlands route, said: “This work is vital in improving the journeys of passengers as they travel by train on the Midland Main Line. The work being carried out near Bedford and the electrification of the line between Kettering and Wigston means journeys will be more reliable, quicker, more frequent, and greener too.

“We always try and deliver work at less disruptive times for passengers and a lot of this period of work is overnight because of that.
We want to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while these major upgrades are carried out and encourage them to check before travelling.”

Dave Meredith, Customer Services Director for EMR said: “We are encouraging customers planning to travel in January and February to plan their journeys in advance by checking for updates on the EMR website.

“Engineering work will affect EMR services at weekends for three weeks, starting on Sunday 21 January. Customers should expect extended journey times with rail replacement buses and amended timetables in place.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst the engineering work to electrify the Midland Main Line takes place. This work will greatly benefit our customers in the future with more reliable, quicker journeys.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We’re also grateful to our passengers for their patience while Network Rail carry out these vital improvements. With buses replacing Thameslink trains for part or all of these three weekends, please allow plenty of extra time when you re planning your journey and remember to check before you set off from home.”