Crucial railway upgrades to affect London journeys this weekend

Network Rail has issued the following press release about engineering works taking place in London this weekend, affecting Thameslink journeys between London Bridge and London St Pancras or Finsbury Park.

Vital engineering work between London Bridge and West Hampstead will see changes to journeys this weekend, with passengers urged to check before they travel.

Engineers will be working between Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January to:

• Renew switches and crosses, the specialist equipment used by trains to change tracks from one to another, in Clerkenwell.
• Complete additional work at Agar Grove bridge, Camden, following the bridge deck replacement completed in December.
• Carry out other maintenance jobs to enhance safety and improve the reliability of the railway network.

Part of the work at Agar Grove bridge will include reinstalling trackside lighting, restoring brickwork and installing new drainage gutters.

These upgrades will mean smoother journeys for passengers travelling between the East Midlands and London.

Thameslink and EMR (see editor's notes) will be operating a revised train service while the work is carried out, with buses replacing some trains.

Thameslink trains will not be running through central London all weekend, between London Bridge and London St Pancras International or Finsbury Park.

Additionally, no trains will run between London Blackfriars and Sutton in either direction, via Wimbledon or Mitcham Junction.

Passengers are urged to check before they travel via National Rail Enquiries or via Thameslink’s or EMR’s website and social media channels as their journey may be impacted.

Daniel Matthews, operations director for Network Rail’s east midlands route, said: “This weekend, our teams will be carrying out critical work, including the renewal of switches and crosses, to provide passengers with smoother journeys to and from London.

“During this time, engineers will also complete the final tasks at Agar Grove, alongside other essential maintenance to enhance the safety and reliability of the railway network.

“We sincerely thank passengers for their patience and understanding while these improvements are carried out. We strongly encourage everyone to check before they travel via National Rail Enquiries or their train operator.”

Jenny Saunders, Thameslink’s customer service director, added: “There will be no Thameslink trains running through central London this weekend as engineers work on the track between London Bridge and Kentish Town.

“Please allow some additional time to take an alternative route across the capital, such as the Underground or buses.

“Check the Thameslink website before you start your journey to see how it will be affected.”

Philippa Cresswell, customer service director for East Midlands Railway, said: “We recommend customers planning to travel to or from London this weekend to check their journey in advance by looking for updates on the EMR website as we will be running a reduced timetable.

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience whilst the vital bridge work on the Midland Mainline takes place. This work will greatly benefit our customers in the future with more reliable journeys to and from London.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

Changes to train services on 18 to 19 January:

Thameslink

There will be no Thameslink services running through Central London between Finsbury Park/London St Pancras International and London Bridge.

There will also be no Thameslink services between London Blackfriars and Sutton via Wimbledon or Mitcham Junction.

Trains will be running to an amended timetable between:

• London St Pancras International and Luton/Bedford.
  • Trains will not call at Kentish Town.
• London Bridge and Three Bridges/Horsham/Brighton.
• London Victoria and Sevenoaks.
  • Trains will not call at Elephant and Castle or London Blackfriars.
• Plumstead and Rainham (Saturday only).
• Plumstead and Gillingham (Sunday only).

For further information on the changes to services, visit: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/engineering-works/thameslink-weekend-20250118/

East Midlands Railway (EMR)

EMR will run an amended and reduced service to / from London St Pancras as follows:

• 1 train per hour between Corby and London St Pancras International
• 1 train per hour between Nottingham and London St Pancras International
• 1 train per hour between Sheffield and London St Pancras International

For further information on the changes to EMR services, visit: Amended East Midlands Railway service to / from London St Pancras International on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January | EMR

Passengers should also be aware of the engineering work on the London Overground Mildmay line. For further information, please see the links below.