Chiltern Railways passengers are being urged to check before they travel ahead of a planned closure this month.

The main line between Bicester and Leamington Spa will face a five-day shutdown due to vital improvements being carried out by Network Rail and its partners, Story Contracting, at the end of July.

Closing the railway is part of a more than £9 million investment to ensure passengers' safety and reliability for both public and freight services for years to come.

The five days, starting Saturday, July 27 until Wednesday, July 31, will see the replacement of a railway bridge in King's Sutton near Banbury.

Engineers plan to work day and night, utilising specialist rail-mounted 'Kirow' cranes to introduce a new 240-tonne bridge deck over the River Cherwell.

During the same period, an upgrade of over 500 metres north of Banbury station will also take place, aiming to provide smoother journeys to passengers.

This includes the replacement of track sections and drainage systems.

Besides these closures, the railway will be shut between Bicester and Leamington Spa stations all day on Sunday, July 21, and between Bicester and Dorridge in the morning.

Passengers planning to travel during the closure period can expect longer journeys, but rail replacement buses will be in operation.

Buses will link trains to and from Marylebone at Bicester Village, as well as trains to and from Birmingham Moor Street at Leamington Spa.

The routes covered by the replacement bus service will be Bicester Village to Banbury, then onto Leamington Spa or Stratford Upon Avon, and a separate route from Bicester Village to King's Sutton then onto Banbury.

Adam Checkley, infrastructure director for Network Rail, said: "I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we complete over £9 million of upgrades on the Chiltern main line between Bicester and Leamington Spa stations this month to help make journeys more reliable.

"If you're planning to catch a train during the rail closures, please check with Chiltern Railways and at www.nationalrail.co.uk before you travel for information about your journey."

Andy Camp, commercial and customer strategy director at Chiltern Railways, said: "These crucial engineering works will ensure more reliable journeys for customers in the future and I would like to thank customers for their understanding as this work will mean they will need to change their normal travel plans during this period."

For additional journey information and travel advice, passengers can visit www.chilternrailways.co.uk/jul24engineering.