Weekend railway upgrades to bring changes to East Midlands journeys

Network Rail has issued the following press release about work that will affect Thameslink services:

Passengers planning weekend rail journeys this June are being advised to check before they travel due to railway upgrades between Northamptonshire and London and Leicester and Peterborough.

Engineers will be working throughout Sunday 23 June to upgrade the signalling system on the Midland Main Line between London St Pancras and Wellingborough resulting in changes to train services.

Also on 23 June, further work in central London means there will also be no Thameslink services between St Pancras and London Bridge, or between St Pancras and Sutton/Wimbledon*.

Separately to the Midland Main Line work, teams will be laying new track between Leicester and Peterborough on 22-23 and 29-30 June, with buses replacing CrossCountry trains to Melton Mowbray, Oakham, and Stamford.

Customers travelling with East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Thameslink should plan ahead by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or by checking with their individual train operator**.

Mark Budden, route director for Network Rail’s East Midlands route, said: “Upgrading the signalling system is vital to keep services running safely and reliably. It’s a technically complicated piece of work so we cannot run any trains through the area while we carry it out.

“I’m sorry for the disruption this will cause to journeys for some passengers. Please make sure you plan ahead before setting off and check to see if your journey will be different to usual.

“We want to thank customers for their understanding while we carry out these essential improvements.”

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Thameslink, said: “We’re grateful to passengers for their patience and understanding while Network Rail improve this important part of the network.

“We’ve arranged replacement buses to help people complete their journeys but please allow plenty of extra time when planning your trip, especially if you have a flight to catch at Luton Airport, and double check your schedule before you set off."

Passengers can check before they travel by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk.

More information on the ongoing work to electrify the Midland Main Line can be found by visiting: Midland Main Line Upgrade - Network Rail.

Philippa Cresswell, customer service director for East Midlands Railway, said: “We recommend customers planning to travel to or from London on 23 June to check their journeys in advance by looking for journey updates on the EMR website.

“We are working closely with Network Rail to keep customers moving throughout the engineering work, and EMR services will be running where possible.

“Customers’ journeys may be longer than normal, with rail replacement buses and amended timetables in place.

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

ENDS