Northern City Line enters new phase as East Coast Digital Programme prepares to commission new equipment

Network Rail have issued the following press release about new signalling equipment being brought into use on the Northern City Line over the Early May bank holiday weekend:

• Removal of 45 year old equipment and commissioning of new will take place over Bank Holiday weekend
• Changes to services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate
• Passengers urged to plan their journeys ahead of time

Passengers intending to travel on the Northern City Line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend (30 April – 2 May inclusive) are asked to plan ahead as work is taking place to commission new signalling equipment.

The Northern City Line was originally part of the London Underground and has retained old London Underground equipment, which all now needs to be replaced. This will enable a more reliable service for the thousands of passengers who use the service daily.

The work is part of the East Coast Digital Programme which will introduce digital signalling on to the route, enabling signallers to communicate with the latest in-cab technology on trains. Being able to respond in real time will boost reliability and reduce delays, further improving services on the route for passengers.

The upcoming work can only take place safely when no passengers services are running. Over the early May Bank Holiday weekend there will be no services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate and intermediate stations will be closed. Trains to and from Moorgate will be diverted into London Kings Cross.

Passengers are advised to allow plenty of time for their journey and check before travelling via National Rail Enquires or greatnorthernrail.com

Toufic Machnouk, Network Rail’s Director, Industry Partnership Digital, said: “By commissioning new equipment on the Northern City Line and removing antiquated assets, we will improve reliability for passengers on the route. It also means we can move forward to the next stage where we introduce digital signalling, enabling further improvements for passengers.

Tom Moran, Managing Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “We expect the new signalling system to significantly reduce the delays caused by signal failures. This will benefit our customers but it can’t be done without closing a part of our railway. This means we won’t be able to run trains along the route to and from Moorgate this early May Bank Holiday weekend. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and encourage passengers to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.”

ENDS