Chiltern Railways customers are being asked to plan ahead and warned that services will be much busier than normal across the Early May Bank Holiday weekend (Saturday 1 May – Monday 3 May). Major improvement work will be carried out on the West Coast Main Line route between Birmingham New Street and London Euston, with Chiltern Railways being the only direct route for customers travelling between the two cities.
The operator has amended their timetable and strengthened services to maximise space for social distancing onboard, however social distancing may not always be possible. Queuing systems will be in place at Birmingham Moor Street and Marylebone stations and Chiltern Railways advises customers to arrive early and allow extra time to complete their journey. On Monday 3 May (May Day Bank Holiday), a strengthened train service will be operating all day and customers looking to travel on this day should check the Chiltern Railways website for more information.
Additionally, from Saturday 1 May until 13:30 on Monday 3 May, part of the Bakerloo line will be closed for engineering work and customers needing to use London Underground services should look at alternatives routes to get to their destination.
Customers are reminded that they should follow government guidance on travel and wear face coverings on public transport and at stations unless exempt.
Eleni Jordan, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director for Chiltern Railways, said: “Chiltern Railways are doing all that we can to make sure that those who need to travel by rail can do so over the Bank Holiday. While we have strengthened services, we anticipate our trains will be busier than usual and social distancing may not be possible on all services.
“Customers should allow extra time for their journey and ensure that they check the Chiltern website or download the app for the latest information.”
Dave Penney, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “We’ve worked hard to minimise disruption for passengers throughout spring and summer – including moving some work over the Easter and Spring bank holidays.
“We are carefully balancing that with carrying out essential improvements and maintenance to provide a safe and reliable railway and are working with all train operators between London and Birmingham to minimise disruption as much as possible.”
Customers who do need to travel are advised to:
- Allow extra time for their journey as queuing systems will be in place at larger stations,
- Travel during off-peak hours where possible,
- Book tickets via the website or Chiltern App and use contactless payments wherever possible,
- Check their journey before travelling,
- Maintain social distancing onboard trains and at stations,
- Wear a face mask at stations and on trains unless exempt,
- Regularly wash their hands before and after their journey.