The railway between London Euston and Milton Keynes has reopened for passengers and freight after major upgrades over Easter.

All four lines of the West Coast main line were closed in Watford over the long bank holiday weekend so dozens of engineers could complete improvements to a railway junction.

For the last two years new track, switches and crossings have been installed to allow greater flexibility for trains to change between lines when coming in or out of the capital.

This gives railway signallers more options to divert trains during periods of disruption, and increase the number of services which can run through the area in future.

The junction upgrade has taken place over Easter and early May bank holiday weekends since spring 2021 and has cost a total of £15m.

James Dean, route director, Network Rail’s West Coast South, said: 

“I’d like to thank people travelling over Easter for their patience while we carried out our essential railway upgrades to improve journeys for passengers and freight in the future.

“We never take the decision to close Euston station lightly, and this major railway junction overhaul in Watford just wouldn’t have been possible without closing all four lines entirely. Now it’s complete - after two years of major work - passengers will start to see the benefits immediately as it will mean faster, more reliable journeys for trains travelling on the West Coast main line in and out of the capital.”