Christmas 2024: EMR issues top tips for those travelling between Dec 21 and Dec 29

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has created a list of top tips for customers who are planning to use its services over the festive period.

This month, 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 electric and diesel, will transform the service and experience onboard the Midland Main Line - to and from London St Pancras - providing EMR customers 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.

While the work is 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 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 will need to take a train from London Euston to Milton Keynes where rail replacement buses will transfer them over 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 replacement bus services.

To help customers when they travel over the festive period, EMR has created a list of top tips.

Top Tips for festive customers travelling between 21 - 29 December 

Watch our helpful videos - EMR has created video guides to help customers navigate some of the stations involved in the route. These include Euston, Milton Keynes and Bedford. They show the way to bus connections and exits. 

Don't rush to catch the rail replacement bus connection - 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.

Make sure to book assistance - should you need it - EMR’s Passenger Assistance service is available to ensure a seamless travel experience. This includes booking support for disabled passengers and the availability of British Sign Language interpreters through EMR’s BSL Live service.

Only bring what you are comfortable with carrying yourself - Although there will be the same capacity for luggage on our rail replacement bus services, customers are advised to bring only what they are capable of carrying alone. 

Download the EMR App - Stay up to date on the move and book train tickets anytime with our free app. You can also save your payment method for faster ticket buying, without having to pay any credit card charges or booking fees.

Customers booking tickets for loved ones should check the full journey - 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. 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.

Arrive 10 minutes before your journey 

Understand how services are affected across the whole festive period - 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 throughout the engineering works.

For more detailed information visit the EMR website at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/travel-information/service-alterations/no-emr-trains-between-bedford-and-london-st-pancras