Friday, November 29, 2024 East Midlands Railway’s holiday engineering overhaul causes delays and disruptions between Bedford and Milton Keynes. Here’s how to navigate the changes during domestic travel. East Midlands Railway (EMR) is advising customers planning to travel during the holiday season to be aware of how ongoing engineering works will impact their journeys.
From Saturday, December 21 to Sunday, December 29, Network Rail will conduct significant improvements to the rail network, including the replacement of overhead electric power lines. This upgrade is essential for the introduction of EMR’s new Aurora bi-mode fleet in the coming year. As a result of the work, all EMR Intercity and Connect services to London St Pancras will be diverted to Bedford.
Passengers traveling to London St Pancras will need to switch to rail replacement buses between Bedford and Milton Keynes, where they can continue to London Euston via the West Coast Main Line. The EMR platforms at St Pancras will be closed during this period. For those traveling north from London, trains from London Euston to Milton Keynes will be available, where replacement buses will then transfer passengers to Bedford for onward EMR services.
Journey times may be extended by up to one hour due to these changes. EMR will operate up to 12 buses per hour between Bedford and Milton Keynes to ensure timely connections. Additionally, all services will finish earlier than usual on Christmas Eve, and post-Christmas tra.