Passengers are reminded that a programme of vital engineering upgrades on the East Coast Main Line will disrupt services over the next two weekends.
There will be no trains to and from London King’s Cross on 25-26 January and 1-2 February because of planned improvements on the route.
This work includes upgrades to the track, drainage and overhead lines which power trains, as well as further preparatory work under 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 train services between Peterborough and London King’s Cross, with rail replacement services in place. East Midlands Rail services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy and customers are advised to use Thameslink services and change at Bedford for rail replacement services to Peterborough.
Passengers are advised that on Sunday 2 February there may be additional journey impact as a result of planned industrial action on the West Coast Main Line.
Any passengers travelling to the Arsenal v Manchester City match on Sunday 2 February should allow plenty of extra time for their journeys, as there is also planned engineering work taking place on the London Underground and Overground, with the Piccadilly and Mildmay lines affected.
Simon Pumphrey, Network Rail infrastructure director, said: “The work our teams will be carrying out over these weekends goes well beyond regular maintenance tasks.
“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.”
A spokesperson on behalf of train operators commented: “We are encouraging our customers to plan ahead and check before they travel, with the latest journey details available on our websites and social media feeds. Our colleagues will be on hand to help journeys run as smoothly as possible across both weekends while this work takes place.”
Engineering work and other Network Rail activities are planned well in advance to make the most of any time the line is closed. During the coming two weekends, work will include:
- Renewing several areas of track, as well as switches and crossing equipment which allows tracks to separate, cross and rejoin.
- Tunnel drainage work will be undertaken at Barnet and Hadley Wood, and improvements to the overhead line equipment at Biggleswade and Bounds Green.
- Under-track cables added between Biggleswade and Peterborough to prepare for digital signalling, under the £1.4 billion ECDP project.
Image credit: Network Rail
