Passengers are being reminded to plan ahead and check before they travel if they are using the East Coast Main Line over the August Bank Holiday weekend as key engineering work for the billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) takes place.
Delivering ECDP will result in a more reliable railway with lower emissions thanks to digital signalling being introduced. Signalling information will be fed directly to a screen in the driver’s cab, replacing traditional lineside signals.
From late evening Saturday 26 to Monday 28 August 2023, engineering work will focus on a stretch of line between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin in Hertfordshire, in preparation for digital signalling to be used from 2025.
Peterborough’s power signal box will be closing on the evening of Friday 25 August, moving local signalling control up to York’s modern rail operating centre, allowing for trains to move more efficiently across junctions and to reduce delays.
Passengers are being reminded that rail replacement buses and coaches will operate from late evening Saturday 26 August to early morning Monday 28 August. No train services will run from Peterborough with bus services operating between Grantham, Royston and Potters Bar/Hertford North, as well as between Grantham, Leicester and Ely.
Work has been carefully scheduled to keep disruption to the journeys of passengers to a minimum, with Friday and most of Saturday and Monday remaining unaffected.
Ricky Barsby, Network Rail’s Head of Access and Integration for ECDP, said: “We’re encouraging passengers to check before they travel over the August Bank Holiday weekend so that their journeys run as smoothly as possible. The work we are delivering for the East Coast Digital Programme is imperative in allowing for improved, more reliable journeys for our passengers in the future.
“We want to thank passengers for their patience and understanding in advance of the work and have carefully planned the it so that it causes the least amount of disruption as possible.”
A spokesperson on behalf of train operators on routes affected said: “Our teams will be working hard over the August Bank Holiday weekend to keep passengers moving, but as we implement replacement bus services and diversion routes, journey times will be longer, and services may be busier than usual.
“Please check before you travel by using National Rail Enquiries or directly via your train operator to see how your journey may be affected.”
Image credit: Network Rail
