New train system means 'Euston rush' could be a thing of the past for rail passengers from Milton Keynes

Network Rail and its train operating partners are introducing a trial of earlier boarding of Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway train services.

People will be allowed to board 20 minutes before the train departs in the hope that it will improve their experience at Euston.

The announcement comes just weeks after Network Rail and the Department for Transport announced a five-point plan to deliver a better passenger experience at the station, with Transport Secretary Louise Haigh tasking the station’s teams to look again at how Euston works on a day-to-day basis and make immediate improvements where possible.

Around 40% of Avanti West Coast services will be boarded 20 minutes before departure, with more services being added in the weeks ahead to the majority of services (around 55%) in the run-up to Christmas.

‘Continuous boarding’ of London Northwestern Railway's Birmingham services introduced from 21 October is also here to stay where passengers are invited onto platforms to await their service as soon as the preceding service has departed.

The speeding up of passenger boarding and improved flows through the station have been made possible by the collaboration between Network Rail and the train operating companies to simplify cross-industry operational processes.

Gary Walsh, director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “Getting passengers to their services in good time is at the heart of our improvements at Euston, and today’s changes will tackle that issue head-on. Taking quick and effective action is at the core of our five-point plan which I’m pleased to say is starting to deliver for our passengers at London Euston station.”

Network Rail this week also convened its first rail industry summit to give passenger user groups and government an update on progress on Euston station’s five-point improvement plan*.

The event saw Rail Minister, Lord Hendy and representatives from the DfT, Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, TfL, the ORR, British Transport Police, London TravelWatch and Transport Focus join Network Rail staff for a fact-finding visit of passenger operations, following the recent announcement of the five-point plan to improve passenger experience at the station.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, said: “I am pleased to see immediate improvements being made at Euston Station to reduce the risk of overcrowding, drive up standards and deliver a better experience for passengers.

“For too long, Euston station simply has not been good enough. That’s why I have tasked Network Rail and operators with delivering a clear plan to alleviate some of the issues passengers are facing while we work on a long-term solution for the station.”

Cheryl Fox, interim customer experience director at Avanti West Coast, said: “We know the travelling experience for our customers at Euston has fallen below the standards they should rightly expect. This is why we welcome any steps to make improvements."

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “We’ll be monitoring the impact of these changes closely as we continue working with partners to make the process of boarding trains smoother across the station."

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