Advice for West Midlands customers travelling during May bank holiday weekend

Major improvements works will be carried out on the West Coast main line over the early May bank holiday weekend, (4-6 May) with Euston station being closed to main line train services.   

Although their services are unaffected by engineering works, Chiltern Railways’ network will be the main route for passengers travelling between Birmingham and London over the bank holiday weekend.   

Customers in the West Midlands are advised that services will be busy, but that extra carriages have been added to provide 8,000 extra seats over the long weekend. It is recommended that customers purchase tickets in advance via the app or website and collect them prior to their travel date.  

To accommodate the anticipated swell in customers travelling from Birmingham towards London, a queuing system will be in place for trains departing from Birmingham Moor Street station, and Chiltern Railways advises people to arrive early and allow extra time to complete their journey.  

Customers should also be aware that there is no service on the Bakerloo line between Saturday 4 May – Monday 6 May. Those requiring the London Underground are advised that Baker Street is just a short walk from Marylebone station, providing access into Central London. 

To assist customers travelling, Chiltern Railways advises the following:   

• Purchase tickets in advance via the app or the website to save time and guarantee the best prices;
• Check the timetable for amended times before you travel;
• If picking up pre-purchased tickets from a station, please leave extra time in case of queuing
• Please be patient as your journey will be busier than usual;
• Additional information can be found at www.chilternrailways.co.uk. 

Eleni Jordan, Commercial Director for Chiltern Railways said, “Chiltern Railways are doing all that we can to make sure that those who want to travel by rail can, but we need passengers to know that our trains will be very busy, and they should allow extra time for their journey.   

“We have strengthened services travelling from Birmingham to make sure there is capacity for our customers who wish to travel from stations in the area. We will also have additional people at our stations to help and advise passengers travelling during this time. We appreciate your patience during this busy period.”