Booking train tickets for a loved one this Christmas? Make sure you understand how EMR services are affected
- Customers booking tickets for loved ones should check the full journey
- Journey times will be significantly longer with rail replacement buses and amended timetables in place
- No EMR services will run between London St Pancras and Bedford - in both directions
- Customers travelling north from London will can take a train from London Euston to Milton Keynes where a rail replacement bus will take them to Bedford. From there, customers will continue their journey via the Midland Mainline
- Customers travelling south to London St Pancras will transfer to rail replacement buses, which will operate between Bedford and Milton Keynes. From there, customers can continue their journey into London Euston via the West Coast Main Line
- To help passengers navigate these changes, EMR will have additional staff on hand at key stations and along alternative routes.
East Midlands Railway (EMR) is advising customers who book train tickets for their loved ones over the festive period to ensure they understand how journeys are affected by engineering works.
This festive period, from Saturday, 21 to Sunday, 29 December, Network Rail is carrying out major route improvement work, including replacing overhead electric power lines, which will allow the introduction of EMR's new Aurora bi-mode fleet next year.
The Aurora bi-mode fleet, which will be able to run on both electric and diesel, will transform the service and experience on the Midland Main Line – to and from London St Pancras – providing EMR customers with more seats and modern interiors.
The engineering work during the festive period also includes other vital and extensive maintenance works and supports the future expansion of freight operations on the network.
Due to the work taking place all EMR Intercity and Connect services to London St Pancras will terminate at Bedford. Customers travelling to London St Pancras will be required to transfer to accessible rail replacement buses, which will operate between Bedford and Milton Keynes.
From there, customers can continue their journey into London Euston via the West Coast Main Line. The EMR platforms at London St Pancras will be closed for the duration of the works.
Customers travelling north from London can take a train from London Euston to Milton Keynes, where rail replacement buses will transfer them to EMR services at Bedford.
Customers should be aware that journey times are expected to be extended by up to one hour due to the rail replacement bus services.
EMR will provide up to 12 buses per hour between Bedford and Milton Keynes in both directions, ensuring frequent connections to West Coast Main Line services. This will mean customers will not need to rush to make the connection.
As usual, no trains will run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day and all services will finish earlier than usual on Christmas Eve, and post-Christmas services will start later than normal on Friday, 27 December.
On Monday, 30 December, some early services from London St Pancras will also be affected due to the unavoidable displacement of trains during the engineering works.
Services on Friday, 20 December and Monday, 30 December are likely to be very busy.
Support and Assistance
- To help customers navigate these changes, EMR will have additional staff on hand at key stations and along alternative routes.
- For customers requiring assistance, EMR’s Passenger Assistance service is available to ensure a seamless travel experience. This includes booking support for disabled customers and the availability of British Sign Language interpreters through EMR’s BSL Live service.
Customers are strongly encouraged to plan their journeys in advance and check EMR’s online timetable for the most up-to-date travel information.
There will be some capacity for luggage on rail replacement bus services, however EMR is advising customers to only bring with them what they are comfortable carrying themselves.
Philippa Cresswell, Customer Service Director for East Midlands Railway, said: "We know customers are looking forward to spending time with loved ones over Christmas and that's why we are giving our customers all the information in advance so they can plan ahead and understand how the journey is significantly different this year.
"Over the festive period, tickets and travel arrangements are often made by loved ones, and the customer isn't always familiar with the latest information about services.
"In sharing the information early we want to make sure everyone planning to travel, or organising a loved one’s journey, understands all the details.
“To help, we recommend customers and those booking on behalf of a loved one, to check the journey in advance by looking for updates on the EMR website.
“We are working closely with other operators to keep customers moving throughout the festive period; however, journey times will be significantly longer than normal, with rail replacement buses and amended timetables in place.
"It is also likely that services on Friday, 20 December, and Monday, 30 December, will be be very busy.
“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst these vital engineering upgrades take place. This work will directly benefit our customers in the future, allowing the introduction of our new Aurora bi-mode trains.”
For more detailed information, including real-time timetable updates, visit the EMR website at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/travel-information/service-alterations/no-emr-trains-between-bedford-and-london-st-pancras