This week Network Rail has issued a further reminder to passengers, road users and local people about major railway upgrades taking place in Buckinghamshire from Monday 7 August.

You can find our reminder press release here and read our latest letters to residents attached to this email.

What’s happening?

7 – 18 August

We will permanently repair a brick-built culvert which was damaged in early 2023, leading to repeated short-notice closures of the line. A temporary repair was made, and monitoring equipment installed, but during heavy rain or repeated uses of the locks in the Grand Union Canal, the railway must close as water levels fill the culvert, obscuring the monitoring equipment.

19 August – 29 October

After the culvert repairs are complete, working in partnership with HS2, we will move and replace more than a mile of track and signalling equipment on the line south of Aylesbury to make way for the new HS2 line which will pass beneath the existing railway.

When completed, this vital work will mean more reliable journeys for passengers travelling between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough on a railway that’s fit for the future. HS2 will help to transform journeys between London, the Midlands and the North, by making space on the existing railway network for more freight and local services.

Marsh Lane level crossing closure

As part of our work to realign the railway, we need to close Marsh Lane level crossing during the railway closures to allow our engineers and engineering trains safe continuous access to the work site.

After the track realignment work has been completed and the railway reopens in October, upgrades to make Marsh Lane level crossing safer are needed and will take place in 2024.

This means that Marsh Lane level crossing will be closed to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles from 10pm on Friday 18 August 2023 until spring 2024.

We understand that this road closure will be extremely disruptive to local people and regret that we need to keep the level crossing closed for such a long period of time. A map of the diversionary route can be found in the letter (dated August 2023) attached to this email.

Changes to train services

To keep passengers on the move, rail replacement buses will be in operation during closures of the railway:

Monday 7 to Friday 18 August

The railway south of Aylesbury Vale Parkway station and Aylesbury station is closed affecting all trains to Princes Risborough and Amersham with rail replacement service operating:

• Amersham – Great Missenden – Wendover – Stoke Mandeville – Aylesbury – Aylesbury Vale Parkway (for connections to London Underground)
• Princes Risborough – Monks Risborough – Little Kimble – Aylesbury.

Saturday 19 August

The railway between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Amersham reopens.

Saturday 19 August to Sunday 29 October

The railway between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations remains closed. Chiltern Railways will continue to operate rail replacement bus services between:

• Princes Risborough – Monks Risborough – Little Kimble – Aylesbury.

We’re asking passengers to check before they travel for detailed information about rail replacement bus services at www.chilternrailways.co.uk/pra

We are continuing to work closely with Chiltern Railways to publicise the journey changes and improvement work to passengers and local people.

Our dedicated project webpage will be updated throughout the project www.networkrail.co.uk/pra

If you’d like any further information about the railway closure and the work taking place, please let me know.

Best wishes,

Jonathan

Jonathan Cooke

Senior communications manager

(Pronouns: him/his/he)

Twitter: @networkrailEUS @networkrailWCML @networkrailCML
@networkrailBHM @networkrailMAN @networkrailLIV @networkrailLC