Rail services are getting back to normal in England, Wales and Scotland after widespread closures for engineering work over the four-day Easter weekend.
The southernmost 50 miles of the West Coast main line between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central was closed, as was the main line from London Victoria to Gatwick airport and Brighton plus the southwestern route through Basingstoke and Winchester.
But rail passengers in some parts of Britain face continuing problems. Over the Easter weekend the main line connecting Oxford with Reading was severed because of a “wobbly bridge” over the River Thames in Oxfordshire.
The closure of the Nuneham Viaduct means no commuter services can run from the Cotswolds and Oxford via Reading to London, while CrossCountry links from Manchester and Birmingham to Southampton and Bournemouth are blocked.
Network Rail says the line will remain closed until 10 June at the earliest.
In addition, major engineering work is continuing to impede travellers on a number of other routes.
West Coast main line in southern Scotland
Carstairs Junction in South Lanarkshire is being comprehensively upgraded. This is where the West Coast main line splits, with a branch turning off the route to Glasgow to run northeast to Edinburgh. It is also where the two halves of the lowland Caledonian Sleeper from Edinburgh and Glasgow to London meet.
Scotland’s Railway says it is “re-configuring and renewing the existing track, along with associated signals and overhead lines”. The station itself is also being upgraded.
The closures began on 4 March and will continue until 4 June, with Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express and ScotRail trains all heavily disrupted.
Caledonian Sleeper trains are running via the East Coast main line.
Until 23 April, Avanti West Coast says: “Onward journeys to Scotland will involve a change – either onto a rail replacement bus, or onto another train taking a slower diversionary route.”
From 24 April, trains will run normally during the week but closures will continue at weekends.
West Coast main line at London Euston
Avanti West Coast is warning of “a line block between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central on Sunday 30 April”.
Bedford to Bletchley
This link – known as the Marston Vale line – connects the Midland main line with the West Coast main line. The company that maintains the trains that are used on this line has entered administration. London Northwestern Railway says it cannot run trains, and instead is providing a rail replacement bus until at least Saturday 20 May.
Tunbridge Wells to Hastings
“Major engineering work” began on Good Friday and will continue until Saturday 15 April. A range of rail replacement buses and minibuses are in place.
Passengers from London to Hastings can take the alternative route from Victoria via Gatwick and Lewes.
Ryde Pier
The very short Island Line on the Isle of Wight is currently even shorter.
“Major engineering work is taking place on the Island Line, covering several projects but with a particular focus on Ryde Pier,” says Network Rail. This is the Victorian pier where ferries from Portsmouth dock, with normally a direct connection to the eight-mile Island Line to Shanklin (not to be confused with the 5,772-mile Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok).
Taxis and buses are being used to shuttle passengers along the pier.
Work will continue until June 2023.
