Engineering works to close rail line for six days

The warning was put out by West Midlands Railway - which said it's happening because of 'engineering works'.

On its site, it said: "Passengers travelling with West Midlands Railway (WMR) are being reminded that the Cross City North line between Lichfield Trent Valley/Four Oaks and Birmingham New Street will be closed for six days from Monday 27 May until Saturday 1 June inclusive due to engineering works.

"As a result of the refurbishment of sections of the A38(M) and Network Rail engineering works to the railway, buses will replace all WMR services between Lichfield Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street for six days during the closure."

Additionally, the firm said that services between Wolverhampton and Walsall will run between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street only and rail replacement will be in operation between Birmingham New Street and Tame Bridge Parkway.

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience as the Cross City North line will be closed for six days next week due to works to the railway and the A38. A rail replacement service will be in operation throughout.

“Services between Wolverhampton and Walsall and between Birmingham and Tame Bridge Parkway will also be affected so I would urge passengers to check their journeys.”

This comes after Network Rail posted a worrying warning for train passengers this weekend, as they could be left on rail-replacement buses and face an even busier Bank Holiday weekend than usual due to the FA Cup final which takes place on Saturday.

On the firms site, it reads: "Network Rail is investing over £6m to improve future journeys on the West Coast main line between London Euston and Stafford from Saturday 25 May to Monday 27 May.

"Upgrades in Milton Keynes and Stafford on Network Rail’s West Coast South route have been planned so that Euston station will remain open throughout the Spring bank holiday weekend allowing passengers to travel between London, the Midlands and the North West."

According to the travel firm, the essential work will be replacing 3.5km of track on the West Coast main line in Stafford and Milton Keynes to improve its 'resilience' so that passengers can can enjoy 'more reliable' journeys and freight services in the future.

Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, said: “We have made some great progress on major railway improvements over Easter and the early May bank holiday which will help to make journeys on the West Coast main line more reliable.

"I would like to thank passengers for your continued patience while we carry out more essential track work over the long weekend and urge you to please check before you travel with National Rail Enquiries or your train operator to see how your journey could be impacted.”