More room for passengers as longer trains coming to Leighton Buzzard
Passengers travelling to London from Leighton Buzzard will have more room from Sunday (May 17).
London Northwestern Railway (LNR) is introducing 42,000 extra seats on its services to and from London Euston as part of a national timetable change.
The changes will include the 06:11 from Leighton Buzzard to Euston, increasing from six to ten carriages, while the packed 16:56 from Euston back to Leighton Buzzard will increase to 12.
Meanwhile, the late night Euston to Leighton Buzzard 23:42 service will also be boosted from five to ten carriages.
It comes as LNR completes the rollout of its new electric trains onto routes between London and Milton Keynes. The new fleet – known as Class 730/2s – are longer than the trains they replace, boosting capacity by 5,700 more seats every weekday.
LNR says the rollout creates an overall 20 per cent increase in capacity on LNR routes to and from London Euston.
To celebrate LNR is offering customers 50 per cent off advance fares to London for travel in June, with discount codes available from Sunday, May 17.
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director at London Northwestern Railway, said: “The extra seats we are introducing to the West Coast Main Line are set to significantly improve the customer experience for our passengers, whether they use the route for their daily commute or travelling for leisure.
“Completing the rollout of our new electric fleet is a milestone moment for us, representing our £1billion investment coming to fruition and truly making a difference for the millions of customers who travel with us to and from Euston each year. We’re celebrating by offering thousands of half-price tickets to our passengers, so they can try out our enhanced services for less this June.”
Labour MP Alex Mayer said: “This is a really welcome boost. I’m a great advocate of our railways. The fast service is a real selling point for people who commute to London. And it’s even better when you can get a seat. These longer trains should help make journeys more comfortable and reliable for the many local residents who rely on these services every day.
“We’ve taken Leighton Buzzard’s trains back into public ownership. Next, legislation that I will be voting for very soon will set up Great British Railways to end years of fragmentation. We have a relentless focus on driving up standards for passengers. Better rail services are vital for commuting to work, visiting family and travelling for leisure – especially as we are in the midst of a climate emergency.”