Rail passengers returning to work after next week's Bank Holiday will benefit from a free ‘Park and Ride' facility to take them to Northampton Station during Tuesday 26 August.
The car park at Northampton Station is being used as a temporary bus station, as buses will replace trains on all services between the town and Coventry as part of the latest phase of engineering works on this route.
The engineering works affect services over Saturday 23, Sunday 24, Bank Holiday Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 August. With large numbers of passengers expected to return to work after the Bank Holiday weekend, London Midland is providing the free park and ride service between 06.00 and 22.00 to meet the demand. Passengers can park their cars at the Northampton Saints Rugby Club car park, from where a shuttle bus service will run to and from the station every 15 minutes.
Car parking spaces at Northampton Station will be limited over the Bank Holiday weekend and normal car park charges will apply.
London Midland has arranged for 920 spaces to be available at the Rugby Club, which is 8 minutes from the station.
The engineering work this weekend will affect services between Northampton and Birmingham New Street, with buses operating on the route between Northampton and
Coventry. An amended train timetable between Coventry and Birmingham New Street will also be in operation.
There are also changes to train times affecting services between Birmingham New Street, Northampton and London Euston between Sunday 24 August and Sunday 7 September.
All of these changes are part of a fortnight of concerted engineering work being undertaken by Network Rail, at seven major locations covering over 130 miles of the west coast main line between London, the Midlands and the North West. Network Rail will be installing new track, new points, a new subway, new platforms, new signalling and refurbishing a 450m viaduct.
The seven locations of major improvement work are:
- Stoke - new track and overhead line and signalling work
- Lichfield - new signalling, lengthening platforms and overhead line work
- Nuneaton - new signalling, new track and new points,
- Rugby - opening two new platforms, new subway, refurbishment of 450m viaduct, new track, new points and signalling and overhead line work
- Milton Keynes - new track and extending a platform
- Berkhamsted - refurbishment of the subway
- Harlesden - new track and new sets of points
Further information about all of the changes affecting London Midland services can be found on http://www.londonmidland.com/ or on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ or by calling national rail enquiries on 08457 48 49 50.
