Avanti West Coast is reminding customers making journeys to and from Scotland to check before they travel while Network Rail carry out upgrade work.

On weekdays from Monday, March 20 until Friday, April 21, there will be changes to the intercity operator’s services to Glasgow and Edinburgh, while Network Rail deliver the second phase of their work to modernise Carstairs Junction.

Direct trains to and from Glasgow will be diverted between Carlisle and Glasgow, extending journey times by 45 minutes. Avanti West Coast will have no direct trains to Edinburgh.

Throughout these five weeks, the West Coast Main Line will remain closed near Carstairs at weekends – with no direct Avanti West Coast trains to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

On Saturdays and Sundays during this period, trains will operate between London and Carlisle, where connections into rail replacement services to Glasgow and Edinburgh will be available.

A limited rail service will also operate on most weekends between Carlisle and Glasgow via Dumfries.

As a result, journeys between Carlisle and Glasgow will take approximately 75 minutes longer.

Any customers travelling during this period are strongly advised to plan their journey, make a reservation, and check the Avanti West Coast website for the latest travel updates.

This is the latest phase of a three-month programme of work by Network Rail, which will see trains diverted, longer journey times to Glasgow and Edinburgh, and buses replace trains at weekends until early June.  

The work is part of a £164m Scottish Government investment to modernise Carstairs Junction for passenger and freight services – making it more reliable and able to better cope with the demands of the future.

Over the Easter weekend there will be further changes to journeys as Network Rail will carry out 'essential improvement' and 'engineering work' across multiple sections of the West Coast Main Line.

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Barry Milsom, Executive Director of Operations at Avanti West Coast said: “With the next phase of Network Rail’s major upgrade work at Carstairs due to begin on Monday 20 March, we’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience and remind them to check before they travel, as there’ll be further changes to Scottish services for another five weeks."