Bedford and Luton passengers face 9 weekends of disrupted train travel

Travellers are warned that buses will replace trains on sections of the Bedford to London route, as "major strides" are made in a project to delivering better journeys on the Midland Main Line.

Over nine weekends between February 22 and early June, engineers will be carrying out essential infrastructure work to upgrade the overhead lines between Bedford and London.

A Govia Thameslink Railway spokesman, said: "This work is crucial for the introduction of East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) new greener fleet of bi-mode trains.

"These improvements will also mean smoother and more reliable journeys for passengers travelling between South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and London."

Early development and enabling work will be carried out on Luton and Flitwick stations’ access improvements, a bridge replacement at Harlington, and the new Wixams station being developed by Bedford Borough Council.

Other work will include track upgrades, to make services more reliable, and drainage improvements to prevent flooding.

The spokesman added: "Passenger services will be disrupted and rail replacement bus services will run while this work is taking place. People are urged to plan ahead and check the National Rail website before they travel."

The closures on the Midland Main Line between London and Bedford will take place on:

Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23

Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2

Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9

Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16

Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6

Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13

Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11

Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25

Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1

Changes to Thameslink services

Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23

On Saturday, buses replace trains from Bedford to Luton, and Bedford to Harpenden on Sunday.

Buses will also be running from Bedford to Hitchin on the East Coast Main Line.

Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, March 2

Buses replace trains from Luton to Mill Hill Broadway all weekend.

Buses will also run across to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9

No trains will run between Luton and Finsbury Park to London Bridge, or Wimbledon/Sutton.

Buses are running between Luton and St Pancras, calling at all stations except Kentish Town, as well as to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16

Buses replace trains from Luton to Mill Hill Broadway all weekend.

Buses will also run across to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6

Buses replace trains between Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink all weekend.

Buses will also run across to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13

Buses replace trains between Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink all weekend.

Buses will also run across to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11

Buses replace trains between Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink all weekend.

Buses will also run across to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25

Buses replace trains between Harpenden and Bedford all weekend. Buses will also run from Bedford to Hitchin on the East Coast Main Line.

Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1

Buses replace trains from Bedford to Mill Hill Broadway all weekend.

Buses will run between Bedford and Luton, and Luton to Mill Hill Broadway. Passengers can use buses to get to the East Coast Main Line between Luton Airport Parkway, Luton and Hitchin, and also between Harpenden, St Albans and Potters Bar.

Jenny Saunders, customer service director for Thameslink, said: “These upgrades will bring about big change on the Midland Main Line from London to Bedford – but for this to happen, passengers will experience some disruption on weekends while engineers are hard at work.

“I’d like to thank people for their patience while these works are ongoing and apologise to those who may need to change plans because of this.

“We’ll have staff up and down the network ready to support you on your travels, but the most important message is to check before you leave for your journey, using the Thameslink website.”

Other work includes the removal of a temporary bridge at Agar Grove in Camden. This follows the successful replacement of the bridge deck over Christmas 2024, bringing the project a step closer to completion.

Further progress will also be made on the rail link to SEGRO’s Radlett Strategic Freight Interchange for Hertfordshire, as well as dozens of maintenance jobs along the section of route which is closed.

For more information on the changes to EMR services, please click here. You can also click here for more information on the Wixams station project.