Press release -
Platform improvements for Watford Junction
Work is underway to upgrade platforms to improve access and capacity for passengers using Watford Junction station.
Until May 2019, platforms 10 and 11 will undergo a multi-million-pound overhaul to accommodate longer trains, helping to improve passengers’ journeys on the West Coast main line in and out of London Euston.
The work will see platform 10 extended by 90 metres, increasing the number of carriages it can handle from eight to twelve. Overhead line equipment will be upgraded, with the public announcement system and customer information screens also being improved.
Platform 11, which is currently made from wood, will be entirely rebuilt to modern construction standards by mid-January 2019.
The work is being carried out with a number of rail industry partners, and forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, which is the largest investment in Britain’s rail infrastructure since the Victorian era.
Karen Penn, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “As more and more people choose to travel by train, these vital improvements to upgrade platforms at Watford Junction will ensure it is fit for the future, by making the station better and more reliable. Thank you to passengers for their support and patience while these major improvements take place.”
Samantha Rayment, station manager at Watford Junction, said: “This work will help to enable us to deliver some significant improvements to services over the next year. From May 2019, there will be more 12 car trains running to and from Watford Junction. There will also be three additional trains between Watford and Euston in the morning peak and one additional service in the evening. More trains from Watford Junction will also stop at Wembley. These works will mean some changes around the station over the next six months, so we advise customers to leave a bit of extra time to get to and from their trains.”
Every effort is being made to minimise disruption to passengers during the six-month upgrade, with step free access to and from platform 9, 10 and 11 protected during the work. The timing of the work will also be carefully coordinated between the different contractors involved in construction to reduce the impact on customers.
During the platform improvements, some facilities may have to be moved or decommissioned for short periods, including some benches and signage, but everything will be reinstated as soon as it can be. The waiting room on platform 11 will be closed from 17 December until 11 January.
Some car parking spaces will also need to be temporarily decommissioned so that contractors can complete this major upgrade.
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About West Midlands Trains
For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.
- London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
- West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.
For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.
West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.
The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com
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