Berkhamsted to Hemel Hempstead August Holiday Disruption All in a Good Cause but Delay to the MXL is not.

Travellers at Bank Holidays have to be braced for difficult journeys as so often these are the only practical times to carry out essential repair and improvement work.

This August Bank Holiday was no exception as the line was closed for the weekend to allow Network Rail to renew track between Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted stations and to carry out planned upgrades. Some drainage work was also done at the same time.

This section of the railway which combines the West Coast Main Line with commuter services also carries significant freight traffic and is one of the most intensely used pieces of railway in Europe.

Local County Councillor for Tring, Nick Hollinghurst, said that Bank Holiday travellers had to be thanked for their patience and everyone recognised the disruption for passengers and congestion for local communities caused by bus replacement services.

He added, however, "I have to warn residents and travellers along this line that the combination of Crossrail and the reconstruction of Euston Station to serve as a terminus for HS2 is going to result in continuous weekend closures of the line, often from Watford or even from Hemel Hempstead inwards for as long as 5 years."

"If it as bad as I fear, then we really will need the Metropolitan Line Extension to mitigate this chronic disruption by taking passengers from Watford Junction by London Underground over the new track to Moor Park and into London that way."

"But," he concluded, "with the Tory Transport Minister, Chris Grayling, and the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, squabbling and playing political games we are in serious danger of this vital project not being adopted by Transport for London and getting cancelled. That would be disasterous for public transport throughout South and South West Hertfordshire."