- Network Rail continues to simplify track layout at London King’s Cross during main stage of £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade
- No trains to/from London King’s Cross on the afternoon of Friday 4, and all day on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June
- Work will allow more trains to enter and exit the station – reducing congestion and bringing more reliable journeys for passengers
- Full service resumes on Monday 7 June but anyone travelling should aim to do so safely and plan their journey in advance
Passengers travelling via King’s Cross are being urged to double check their travel ahead of three days of significant disruption at the station.
The advice, from Network Rail, Great Northern and Thameslink, comes ahead of plans to close King’s Cross station from lunchtime on Friday 4 June until the early hours of Monday 7 June, so that engineering teams can put the finishing touches to a multi-million pound, once-in-a-generation project to transform the track layout at London King’s Cross, making it more practical for trains and bringing more reliable journeys for passengers.
The station closure will result in the following changes to Great Northern and Thameslink services:
Friday 4 June:
- All day, there will be no Thameslink trains between Finsbury Park and St Pancras International. Trains that usually run between Brighton and Cambridge or between Horsham and Peterborough will instead run from Brighton or Horsham to and from London Bridge.
- From around lunchtime for the rest of the day, trains won’t run between Finsbury Park and London King’s Cross. There will be fewer trains between Cambridge and London. Passengers should use online journey planners to check the times of the last trains to and from London King’s Cross.
- Passengers will be able to use London Underground between Finsbury Park and King’s Cross St Pancras to complete their journeys.
- Trains to and from Moorgate will run to amended timetable.
Thameslink trains between Bedford and St Pancras International will run as normal.
Saturday 5 June:
- Before 06:00, buses will replace trains between Finsbury Park and Welwyn Garden City /Stevenage via Hertford North/Hitchin.
- Trains won’t run between Finsbury Park and London King’s Cross or London St Pancras International all day.
- Passengers will be able to use London Underground between Finsbury Park and Kings Cross St Pancras to complete their journey.
- Trains to and from Moorgate will run to an amended timetable.
- Thameslink trains that usually run between Brighton and Cambridge or Horsham and Peterborough will instead run between Brighton or Horsham and London Bridge all day.
Sunday 6 June:
- Before 07:10, buses will replace trains between Finsbury Park and Potters Bar/Gordon Hill.
- Before 10:45, buses will replace trains between Huntingdon and Peterborough.
- All day, there will be no trains between Finsbury Park and London King’s Cross/London St Pancras International.
- Passengers will be able to use London Underground between Finsbury Park and King’s Cross St Pancras to complete their journey.
- Trains to and from Moorgate will run to an amended timetable.
- Thameslink trains that usually run between Brighton and Cambridge will instead run between Brighton and London Bridge.
Passengers should continue following Government guidance to travel safely and plan journeys in advance. Those who need to travel between 4 and 7 June should check their journey via National Rail Enquiries, at EastCoastUpgrade.co.uk or with their train operator.
The King’s Cross project is a critical part of the £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade. Network Rail has replaced track, overhead lines and signalling; simplified the tracks on the approach to the station and reopened a disused tunnel after 44 years to increase capacity from four to six tracks.
In total the project has involved the installation of:
- Over 6km of new track
- Over 30 new sets of points
- Over 50 new signals
- Over 20km of new overhead wires
A major milestone was reached last month, when platforms 0-6 reopened and work began on platforms 7-11. The final phase of work over the weekend in June involves completing the refurbishment of platforms 7-11 and carrying out further upgrades to the station’s signalling system.
Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail’s East Coast Upgrade, said: “We’re now approaching the home straight in this massive programme of improvements that will deliver better connected, more reliable services for passengers.
“We appreciate that delivering these long term improvements requires some short term disruption and remain extremely grateful to passengers for their continued patience.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Great Northern and Thameslink said: “If you do choose to travel with us over this period then please plan ahead by checking train times and alternative routes. Journeys will take longer and you’ll probably need to take the bus or Tube.
“This three-day closure is the last hurdle in a huge upgrade of the tracks at King’s Cross that creates more space for trains coming in and out, which helps services run on time.”
Photo credit: Network Rail
