Luton passengers warned of major disruption to trains over Christmas

Network Rail will carry out ‘vital engineering work’ on a section of the Midland Main Line, between London St Pancras and Bedford – affecting the network between Saturday December 21 and Sunday December 29.

As a result, passenger services will be “severely disrupted”. On those dates, there will be no East Midlands Railway (EMR) services between London St Pancras and Bedford and Thameslink train services will not run between London St Pancras and Harpenden.

For Luton and Luton Airport Parkway, there will be bus replacement services which will take longer.

Mark Budden, route director for Network Rail’s East Midlands route, said: “We’re sorry that this essential work will cause significant disruption to journeys for many people over the festive period. We’ve worked hard to make sure the work will be completed as quickly and safely as possible.

“We’re deploying hundreds of people to carry out dozens of jobs to prevent further disruption at another time. Once complete this essential work will mean passengers will have smoother, faster and more reliable journeys.”

Passengers who usually take the train north from London St Pancras will need to use different London stations and connecting buses to get to their destinations.

Thameslink passengers travelling to destinations between London and north of Harpenden will take East Coast Main Line services from London Kings Cross to Hitchin or Potters Bar, where they can connect to rail replacement bus services to Luton Airport Parkway, or St Albans City and Harpenden. Thameslink trains will be operating from these stations to Bedford.

Buses will replace trains between London St Pancras and Harpenden.

Customers are being encouraged to check National Rail Enquiries before they travel.

Jenny Saunders, Customer Service Director for Govia Thameslink Railway said: “We know how important this time of the year is to our customers, which is why, with such a lengthy period of improvement work planned over the festive period, we want to give them as much time as possible to plan ahead. It really is vital to consider your options now. Thank you for your patience.”