A £26m rail improvement programme is taking place near Milton Keynes this Christmas.

The work to improve Hanslope junction is one of a number of important projects taking place across the West Coast Main Line this Christmas.

Located 56 miles north of London Euston and seven miles from Milton Keynes, the junction is a vital section of railway carrying more than 3,300 passenger and freight services a week.

But, in the last five years, faults on this crucial railway junction have caused more than 11,000 minutes of delays – equivalent to more than a week's worth of disruption – so this upgrade will improve reliability and reduce disruption for passengers.

From Christmas Eve, the mile-long stretch of track will be transformed with a £26m improvement programme.

Engineers will be replacing 130 track pieces across the junction. Work also includes strengthening the foundations below the track, as well as overhauling points, switches and crossings.

The work means that journeys to and from London Euston will be affected from Christmas Eve until the morning of 5 January.

To make the most of the closure, while trains aren’t running between Milton Keynes and Rugby or Milton Keynes and Northampton, engineers will deliver additional improvements, including: 

Milton Keynes Central station – Platform 4 renewal 
A £3.66m project to replace concrete planks and fix uneven surfaces, improving safety and structural integrity. 

Wolverton station – Platforms 3 and 4 resurfacing 
Investing over £2m to upgrade platform surfaces and improving stepping distances between train and platform. 

Track renewal near Roade
An investment of almost £600,000 to upgrade the track near Roade, including the installation of over 1,500 metres of new rail. 

Newport Bridge, Stafford 
Part of a £5.4m upgrade to the bridge carrying the A518 over the railway, providing a safer bridge and better road for the people of Stafford.

With London Euston expected to be quieter during the 11-day railway closure, teams will also take the opportunity to improve wayfinding signage, repair floor tiles, paint railings on platform ramps, and deep clean the concourse to keep the station looking its best for customers.

Steve Hopkinson, Network Rail’s operations director for the West Coast South route, said: “This is a much-needed upgrade which will reduce the number of delays passengers have to experience on the railway and future-proof the West Coast Main Line for decades to come.

“We have worked hard with our train operator partners to limit disruption to people travelling this Christmas, but please check your journey before you travel.”

To carry out these upgrades safely, there will be no trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton/Rugby for eleven consecutive days from the evening of 24 December until the morning of 5 January.

Follow up work will take place on Sundays 11 and 25 January to complete essential tamping (compacting of the stones beneath the new track that give stability) and drainage work.

On these days there will be no trains between Milton Keynes and Northampton/Rugby.