PASSENGERS using Chiltern Railways services are being warned of alterations to late-evening and weekend trains from next week as work starts to speed up the route.

As part of the Chiltern Mainline project – to allow 100mph running on more of the line between London Marylebone, Oxfordshire and the West Midlands – a special timetable will be in force from 9.35pm, Mondays to Thursdays, starting on Monday.

One of the two tracks on the route between London and Banbury will be handed over to engineers carrying out overnight work, with trains sharing the other track, controlled by the line’s bi-directional signal system.

There will also be extensive changes to weekend services for much of the rest of this year but Chiltern plans to divert trains on to alternative routes whenever possible to minimise the use of replacement bus services.

The project will see the fastest journey times between London and Haddenham & Thame Parkway cut from 44 minutes to 35 minutes, between Bicester North and London from 56 minutes to 44 minutes, and from Banbury to London from 67 minutes to 50 minutes.

Reduced journey times will be implemented in two phases, the first in December and the second in May next year.