No trains between London and Peterborough/Royston for two weekends as East Coast Main Line receives important upgrades

Network Rail has issued the following press release about engineering work that will stop trains between London and Peterborough, Royston and Stevenage via Hertford North at the weekend on 25-26 January and 1-2 February.

Rail passengers using the East Coast Main Line are being advised to plan ahead and check before they travel ahead of consecutive weekends of planned engineering work.

Services will be affected and London King’s Cross station closed on 25-26 January and 1-2 February, as vital improvements are made to the track, drainage and overhead lines which power trains.

Preparatory work is also taking place as part of the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which will deliver more reliable, greener journeys through the introduction of in-cab digital signalling.

There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern services between London and Peterborough, Royston and Stevenage via Hertford North.

Other operators heading further north will be running reduced services, some with rail replacement bus services covering part of the journey, more details can be found here.

Simon Pumphrey, Network Rail Infrastructure Director, said: “The work our teams will be carrying out over both these weekends goes well beyond regular maintenance tasks.

“This work is carefully planned to maximise the time when there are track closures, allowing us to undertake several projects at once and avoiding more frequent track closures.

“We’re sorry to passengers affected by the disruption and thank them for their patience as we make improvements that will help make the railway more reliable.”

Jenny Saunders, Govia Thameslink Railway’s Customer Service Director, said: “We’d like to thank passengers for their patience during upgrade works to bring you more reliable journeys on the East Coast Main Line.

“It means we’ll be running a significantly altered service on our Thameslink and Great Northern routes north of London, over two weekends at the end of January and start of February.

“We’ve arranged replacement buses, shuttle trains between Royston and King’s Lynn, and ticket acceptance on other routes to help you complete your journeys.

“Please check one of the online journey planners before you travel and allow extra time to reach your destination.”

The engineering work includes renewing the line north of Stevenage, investment in bridge timbers south of Finsbury Park and, at Welwyn Garden City, upgrading switch and crossing equipment which allows tracks to separate, cross and rejoin.

Tunnel drainage work will be undertaken Hadley Wood, and there will be improvements to the overhead line kit at Biggleswade and Bounds Green.

Under-track cables will be installed between Biggleswade and Peterborough to prepare for digital in-cab signalling, under the £1.4 billion ECDP project. It follows further testing of the new signalling system having been carried out between Welwyn and Hitchin during the Christmas shutdown.

Check all parts of your journey with National Rail Enquiries or your train operators before travelling.

ENDS