Following a nine-day closure to carry out improvement works to prevent flooding, services have now resumed as normal on the West Coast Main Line between Rugby and Milton Keynes.
Network Rail carried out the £2m investment to ensure future reliability for passenger and freight journeys through Northamptonshire.
The work involved drainage channels being installed, as well as the cleaning of the railway ballast, to prevent heavy rain from flooding the important railway link.
Workers used a huge ballast cleaning train to clear debris from the stone beneath the railway.
Network Rail and the operators running services on the route thanked passengers for their understanding, after closures necessary to carry out the essential futureproofing work caused disruption to some services.
James Dean, Route Director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “We know this work has meant longer journeys for some passengers, so I’d like to thank everyone impacted for bearing with us while we carried out this important work.
“We worked closely with train operators to keep people on the move and now this work is done this vital section of the West Coast main line is better protected from adverse weather for passengers and freight services.”
Lawrence Bowman, Customer Experience Director for London Northwestern Railway (LNER), added: “I would like to thank our passengers for their patience while Network Rail carried out these important upgrades to the railway.
“We know weather-related delays are frustrating for passengers, which makes this work to prevent future disruption caused by flooding very welcome.”
Gus Dunster, Executive Director of Operations and Safety at Avanti West Coast, added: “We would like to thank customers for their patience while Network Rail carried out vital works between Rugby and Milton Keynes.
“These improvements will help to better protect the railway from floods, helping to make journeys more reliable for our customers on the West Coast main line.”
The improvements on the West Coast Main Line form part of wider work being carried out by Network Rail across the network to combat the impacts of adverse weather and disruption caused.
