The Abbey Line railway is set to reopen in February after over a month’s worth of closure due to staffing issues.
Since before Christmas, operators London Northwestern Railway (LNR) have kept the route shut due to a lack of staff availability, thought to be caused by a wave of COVID-19 in workers.
Passengers of the service, which serves Garston as well as numerous other stops between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey, have had to put up with replacement bus services for the entirety of January.
But, responding to GARSTONnews asking when the line would be in operation again, a LNR spokesperson said:
“Following a recent reduction in the number traincrew off work with Covid-19, we anticipate we will be able to restore a full train service on the Abbey Line in February.
“Rail replacement buses are continuing to operate in the meantime, and we thank our customers for their patience and understanding while we work to restore trains to the Abbey Line.”
It has since been confirmed that the trains will return to the line on February 21, but two services to Watford Junction (the 18:56 and the 22:21) and two heading towards St Albans Abbey (the 19:17 and the 22:224) will remain bus services for now.
Despite this recent setback for the line, it’s future has never been more secure. When trains get moving again, a daily direct train straight from London Euston will be available to commuters.
As well as that, funding has been obtained from the government to implement a “passing loop” on the route, which will allow for at least two services to run at the same time.
Picture credit Sunil060902
0 Comments