Trains from Watford Junction to have revised timetable

Rail passengers using the line between the two stations will have revised timetables from next Monday (June 28).

Network Rail says it has currently slowed trains down on the line because of the track condition.

Work was due to take place last winter to make the line’s steel rails better able to withstand periods of hot weather, but this was cancelled when the third lockdown was imposed in January.

Watford Junction pictured above

Now that temperatures are set to reach summer peaks, some sections of the steel rails could misalign or in extreme cases buckle in the heat.

Speed restrictions were set in place from June 8, causing delays up to 25 minutes due to a combination of the hot weather and the condition of the track foundation stone.

Network Rail says that slowing trains puts less strain on those rails, preventing such incidents.

Buckled rails pictured in 2018

As so few services have been running on the line during the pandemic, some stones have become loose and could dislodge if trains now travel too quickly over them.

However a revised timetable has not been published as of yet.

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “We are sorry that we are having to make changes to journey times between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey. 

“As trains have to go slower, there will be fewer services. Some bus replacement services will run during parts of the day when we can’t run trains. Bus replacements will be kept to a minimum. So the advice is to check before you travel.”