Network Rail engineers have successfully completed a busy programme of improvement works in Bedfordshire to improve safety, accessibility and reliability for passengers.
Another milestone was reached at Harlington station, where the ageing footbridge has been safely removed following the installation of a new, modern structure in December. Engineers also completed improvements to the overhead line equipment (OLE) at the station.
A few miles south, at Luton station, early construction work has started as part of the Government’s Access for All programme to improve accessibility. Engineers excavated the site, installed piles and erected hoarding to prepare the area for further construction work, as Network Rail installs an accessible footbridge with lifts, in a project planned for completion in spring 2027.
Elsewhere on the route, teams carried out a track renewal beside platform 1 at Flitwick station. Life‑expired rail, ballast and sleepers were replaced, and adjustments made to overhead line equipment, using five engineering trains, a tamper maintenance machine and seven road‑rail vehicles.
The new track provides more reliable services and has been realigned to the platform to reduce the stepping distance for passengers.
Dan Matthews, Network Rail operations director, said:
“This has been a highly productive period of work, with our teams delivering several important projects safely and on time.
“Removing the old footbridge at Harlington marks another milestone in a significant investment, the improvements at Flitwick are already making a positive difference for passengers, and the early work at Luton is a step to delivering major and lasting benefits for station visitors.
“We’d like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and professionalism, and we’re sorry to passengers whose journey was affected while the railway here was closed for two days.”
Three further weekend closures for railway improvement work will affect trains between Bedford and London in the next couple of months:
- Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May: No East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains from Bedford to London St Pancras and no Thameslink trains between Bedford and Mill Hill Broadway.
- Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June: No EMR trains between Bedford and London St Pancras and no Thameslink trains between Bedford and London Bridge/Sutton.
- Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June: No EMR trains between Bedford and London St Pancras and no Thameslink trains between Bedford and West Hampstead Thameslink.
Image credit: Network Rail
