East Midlands and London St Pancras passengers advised to plan ahead for Sunday 27 April

Rail customers in the East Midlands are being advised that trains are expected to be very busy on Sunday 27 April.

Nottingham Forest will play at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final. It’s also London Marathon weekend and essential rail investment is also being carried out, reducing the number of trains running.

Network Rail and train operators have been working with Nottingham Forest and local stakeholders to offer the best possible service but trains and St Pancras station are still expected to be extremely busy with very limited services available later in the evening.

Daniel Matthews, operations director for Network Rail in the East Midlands explains: “I’m really sorry that our essential engineering work will affect people who want to travel on 27 April. The rail line at St Pancras and through the Thameslink tunnel is very heavily used and needs regular maintenance to keep trains running safely and reliably.

“Unfortunately work like this is planned many months and even years in advance to make sure that alternative routes are available. When Nottingham Forest reached the semi-final, we worked closely with East Midlands Railway to see what improvements to the train service could be made. We’ve changed planned work in the Nottingham area which will allow EMR to start running services earlier in the day direct to and from Nottingham.

“We’re sorry that we are not able to re-instate a full train service for this weekend in the time available. Please be aware of the impact on your journey and plan accordingly.”

Because of the engineering work, London St Pancras International low-level platforms will be closed, and Thameslink services will be diverted to the high-level platforms.

Customers may not be able to board their planned service. If the match goes to extra-time the number of services back to Nottingham are very limited.

EMR customers who must travel between Nottingham and London St Pancras on Sunday, 27 April, are advised to leave Nottingham after 2pm from Nottingham and leave London before 7pm. EMR advance purchase tickets for the busiest times can be used on different trains at no extra cost. EMR customers with tickets to travel to London on Sunday may also use their ticket on Saturday 26 or Monday 28 April instead.

Customers may wish to use the East Coast Main Line from Grantham. To help customers on this route EMR has strengthened services between Nottingham and Grantham.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: "Services will be extremely busy on Sunday, 27 April, due to engineering works, the marathon, and Nottingham Forest fans travelling to the FA Cup semi-final.

"To maximise capacity, we are strengthening services and running additional trains wherever operationally possible.

"However, customers should expect delays. There will also being queuing systems at stations and some services will be so full that customers will have to stand.

“Customers should be aware that if the semi-final goes to extra time, the number of services back to Nottingham will be very limited.

"We advise those not attending the match to travel after 2pm from Nottingham and before 7pm from London to avoid peak times.

"We would like to thank customers for their patience during these engineering works and apologise for any inconvenience."

On Sunday 27 April EMR will only operate the following services:

• 1 train per hour between London St Pancras International and Sheffield (via Beighton)
• 1 train per hour between London St Pancras International and Nottingham
• 1 train per hour between London St Pancras International and Corby
• 1 train per hour between Kettering and Corby (shuttle service)

Anyone travelling that weekend is also encouraged to regularly check EMR’s website for up-to-date information on services and how queuing systems will operate.

Additionally, runners and spectators heading from the north making their way to the start line for the London Marathon in south east London, should plan their journey well in advance to account for the Thameslink closure.

For Thameslink customers heading towards St Albans, Luton and Bedford later in the day, the advice is to try to start your journey from St Pancras before 7pm if possible. This is to avoid expected football crowds, when queuing systems will be in place.

Thameslink passengers hoping to beat the evening queues at St Pancras can also take the London Underground to West Hampstead, from where they can change on to Thameslink services. Bear in mind the Underground station at West Hampstead does not provide step-free access, so this route may not be suitable for everyone.

Thameslink’s customer service director Jenny Saunders said: “With the Thameslink route through central London shut while engineers are completing vital work, we’re strongly urging passengers to plan their journeys to and from London well in advance – and allow plenty of time.

“Our routes running north of the Thames to and from Luton and Bedford will be diverted into the upper level platforms at St Pancras, where there will be a queuing system in place to make sure everyone can get to their trains safely.

“Our services will be sharing these platforms with the reduced EMR service on this day – which are expected to be very busy due to the FA Cup Semi Final between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City – especially after 7pm. So if you can avoid St Pancras after this time you’ll have a much more comfortable journey.”