Rail passengers on the London Northwestern Railway (LNR) network are being urged to check their journey times ahead of a new, upgraded timetable coming into effect this weekend.
LNR is introducing thousands of extra seats into its timetable from Sunday 6 September as passenger numbers across the rail network continue to rise.
The new timetable will see available space increased as schools and workplaces return across the country. It returns the capacity in many places on the LNR network to near pre-Covid levels.
The enhanced timetable is the most significant step up in rail capacity since lockdown and will see the introduction of longer trains running modular routes to boost reliability.
Among the key changes are:
- Introduction of longer trains on many services to and from London Euston, including 12-carriage services from Milton Keynes and Watford Junction
- Capacity at Watford Junction before 7am will be increased to adjust to earlier working patterns for London commuters
- Services from Liverpool will continue to operate hourly, terminating at Birmingham rather than London Euston to improve reliability and will be doubled to form eight-carriage trains
- More services begin and end their journey at Northampton, creating increased reliability and aiding social distancing
- Peak services have been reinstated on the Marston Vale Line and Abbey Line from today (Mon 24 Aug) following suspension due to the impact of coronavirus
Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said:
“We’re urging our customers travelling from Sunday onwards to check their journeys carefully as their train times may have changed.
“This timetable is the most significant step up in our capacity since lockdown. We’re adding thousands of extra seats to give our customers the space to travel with confidence.
“We’ve taken all the aspects which made our lockdown timetable work so well and expanded them as increasing numbers of customers continue returning to the railway. This simpler timetable aims to be more reliable for passengers with longer trains to help social distancing wherever we can.”
Passengers are also being reminded that wearing a face covering is compulsory on trains and in stations unless exempt for medical reasons. Non-compliance is punishable by a fine from the British Transport Police.
To watch a video message about the September timetable from London Northwestern Railway managing director Julian Edwards, click here.