Network Rail Improvement Work Means Changes to Virgin Trains' Services at Easter

LONDON, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Normal service all day on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon and evening    

There will be alterations to services over the Easter weekend because of route improvement work but the principal travel days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday  and Bank Holiday Monday afternoon and evening will see full scheduled services operating.  

On the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend there will be work taking place at various times between Euston and Rugby, Crewe and Stockport, Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street, and between Crewe and Glasgow/Edinburgh.  

Maundy Thursday, 5 April and Good Friday, 6 April

There will be a normal service on both days with some extra trains on the Euston to Preston/Glasgow route on Thursday.

Saturday, 7 April

After 11:00 there will be no train services between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe although a replacement coach service will run serving Runcorn. Passengers travelling from Liverpool to Euston should travel via and change at either Chester, Manchester Piccadilly or Stockport for the quickest services to Euston.  

Because of route improvement work between Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay, Birmingham to Scotland services will be diverted via an alternative route after 11:00 and will terminate at Carlisle.  Replacement coaches will then convey passengers to Edinburgh or Glasgow.  Passengers travelling between London and Scotland are advised to use the East Coast route, although there will be three direct early morning services from Glasgow to Euston.

The Euston to Manchester service that runs via Crewe will be diverted to run via Stoke on Trent and will not serve Crewe or Wilmslow.  Replacement coaches will run between Wilmslow and Macclesfield for connections to and from London.            

Sunday 8 April

Route improvement work will be taking place all day at various locations between Rugby and Euston.  An approximate hourly service will run from Nuneaton to Euston calling at Coventry for connections to the West Midlands and then diverted via an alternative route to London.  There will be connections at Nuneaton with trains to and from Manchester and connections at Coventry for connections to and from the West Midlands and Crewe.  Chester and North Wales services will run between Holyhead and Crewe.

Trains will be unable to run between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street with Runcorn served by replacement coaches.  Passengers travelling between London and Liverpool are advised to travel via and change at Manchester and Nuneaton.

The route between Crewe and Glasgow is closed to allow Network Rail to carry out route improvement work at various locations.  Connecting replacement coaches will run in three separate sections - Crewe to Preston, Preston to Carlisle and Carlisle to Glasgow/Edinburgh.  Passengers travelling between London and Scotland are advised to use the East Coast route between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.  Connections will be made at Crewe with services via the West Midlands to Coventry where further connections can be made with services direct to London Euston.

Route improvement work between Crewe and Stockport means that trains will be unable to serve Wilmslow and so a connecting coach service will operate between Wilmslow and Macclesfield.            

Bank Holiday Monday 9 April

Route improvement work will be taking place between Crewe and Runcorn, Crewe and Warrington, and between Carlisle and Glasgow/Edinburgh, but in all cases this work is scheduled to be completed at 09:45.  This will mean that services on the Euston to Liverpool, Euston to Glasgow and Birmingham to Glasgow/Edinburgh routes will commence a little later than usual.

Two of the four tracks between Rugby and Euston will be closed until 12:00 while engineers carry out route improvement work.  During this time the Euston to Birmingham and Euston to Manchester services will have two services each hour instead of the normal three and North Wales and Chester services will only operate between Holyhead and Crewe.

For further information passengers should visit nationalrail.co.uk/easter or telephone 08457-484950.      

Notes to editors

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