London Midland has warned Watford passengers to prepare for August closures.

The railway line into and out of London Euston will be shut for three weekends, starting Saturday, August 9, as part of Network Rail’s £81m improvement plan to replace track, signalling equipment and overhead power lines in the Watford area.

The line will be closed between Hemel Hempstead and London Euston on Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10.

Also on Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17, and Saturday, August 23, Sunday, August 24 when the line will be closed from Milton Keynes and Monday, August 25.

The project will deliver a more reliable train service for passengers along the West Coast main line.

The St Albans Abbey Line will also be closed between Saturday August 9 up to and including Monday, August 25.

During this closure, road transport will run between Watford Junction and St Albans City, calling at stations on the Abbey Line.

During the main line closures, London Midland will be running train services as far south as Hemel Hempstead and alternative road transport between Hemel Hempstead and Stanmore Underground station calling at stations along the route approximately every 30 minutes.

On Sunday, August 24, trains will run as far south as Milton Keynes Central. Road transport will operate between Milton Keynes Central and Stanmore Underground Station calling at stations along the route approximately every 30 minutes.

On Monday 11 and Monday, August 18, London Midland is warning commuters to check before they travel, as there will be a reduced train service in operation to and from London Euston for the majority of the day.

Terry Oliver, London Midland’s head of West Coast services, said: "On these two Mondays, due to the limited train service, passengers may wish to consider taking advantage of flexible working or annual leave.

"During the August closures, our passengers travelling between Watford and Euston should be prepared for longer journey times and changes on to road transport.

"London Midland will continue to update customer information and will have staff at stations along the closed route to provide assistance over the weekend.

"We’d like to thank our passengers in advance for their patience and co-operation."

London Midland has arranged for its tickets to be valid on Chiltern Trains, East Midlands Trains and First Capital Connect, as well as selected London Overground and London Underground routes during the closures.

For more information on alternative travel arrangements, visit www.londonmidland.com/watford or pick up a leaflet from a station.

Any last minute changes can be seen at www.nationalrail.co.uk.