Passengers warned of disruption as Euston station set to close over Easter and May Bank holiday weekends

Euston station will be closed for several days over the Easter and May Bank holiday weekends with no trains running in and out of the station, passengers have been warned.

The busy London station will be shut from 19 to 22 April and from 4-6 May, which will close routes and lead to longer travel times and busier trains.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “We recognise there is never an ideal time to shut the railway for our must-do work. Bank holidays are the least disruptive time to do it, when fewer passengers use the railway compared to the working week. That way we can do the maximum amount of work while impacting the fewest number of people."

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Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: "For passengers wanting to travel over the bank holiday, engineering works could be a major inconvenience, especially if it means having to use rail replacement bus services or make longer, unfamiliar journeys while London Euston is closed.

"Investment in maintenance and improvement is necessary, and people understand that. But our research is clear: passengers want to be kept on the train wherever possible, they want to know before buying a ticket if part of the journey will be by bus, and they want plenty of staff on hand to signpost and to help."

Euston station is also the site of major construction works for HS2, which will link London to the North in stages.

This week the £56bn project demolished buildings at the station needed to clear the way for new platforms and a new concourse that will be added to the station.

The Ibis hotel on Cardington Street, was completed this week after six months of demolition works, while the clearance of the nearby National Temperance Hospital buildings is almost finished.

The first stage of the station development will open in 2026 when six new platforms are created below ground. The next phase, in which a further five platforms will be added underground, will open in 2033.

The number of seats out of Euston during peak hours will more than double once the railway is complete.

However, there are increasing signs that the project is struggling to keep a grip on costs. Its own chief executive, Mark Thurston, warned earlier this year that HS2 may be forced to run fewer trains at slower speeds to keep within cost boundaries, which Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, said "undermined" the business case for the railway.

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HS2’s Euston Programme Director, Rob Carr said: “HS2 will transform Euston, delivering much-needed extra capacity, improving journeys and unlocking the opportunity for thousands of new jobs and homes.

“Across the capital we are making strong progress, with our pioneering archaeological programme in full swing and more than two thirds of demolitions now complete. I’d like to thank all those involved in helping us hit this latest milestone and I look forward to the next steps in delivering HS2’s new gateway to the capital.”