Passengers were able to benefit from early boarding for some services

Rail passengers will be able to reach their platforms earlier at a central London station to reduce so-called “Euston rush”.

Network Rail has announced that it will now allow passengers traveling on around 40% of Avanti West Coast services to board trains 20 minutes before departure.

In the run-up to Christmas, this figure will increase to around 55%.

Earlier this month, watchdog London TravelWatch has warned that Euston passengers were “at risk” due to “high levels of overcrowding”.

The changes were introduced after Transport Secretary Louise Haigh ordered Network Rail to review and improve the way it runs the station, including initial five-point plan.

It said “last-minute announcements” meant passengers were “rushing to the platforms.”

As part of the reforms, passengers traveling on London Northwestern Railway services to Birmingham were invited onto platforms to wait for their trains immediately after the previous service had departed.

Gary Walsh, Network Rail’s southern route director on the west coast, said: “Ensuring passengers can access services in a timely manner is at the heart of our improvements at Euston, and today’s changes will go directly to tackling this issue.”

The plan includes other measures such as turning off the large advertising screen while its use is reviewed, creating more space in the concourse, upgrading toilets and improving station operations during disruptions.

Ms Haigh said: “I am delighted that immediate improvements are being made to Euston Station which reduce the risk of overcrowding, raise standards and provide a better experience for passengers.

“For too long Euston Station has simply not been good enough.

She added that work was underway on a “long-term solution for the station.”

Plans to redevelop Euston include creating a larger hall, but this is dependent on Network Rail securing more government funding.

In March last year, the Conservative government halted major work to prepare the site next to the station for HS2.

Labor ministers are yet to announce whether the high-speed rail service will be extended to Euston or only run to and from Old Oak Common in London’s western suburbs.

London Northwestern Railway’s chief customer officer, Jonny Wiseman, said: “We will be closely monitoring the impact of these changes as we continue to work with partners to improve the boarding process across stations.”