No trains on East Coast Mainline between Peterborough and London on last weekend of month

Passengers are advised to check before travelling as the engineering work on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November will mean rail replacement bus or coach services in operation for many journeys.

Engineers will be carrying out a range of updates to the technology now being used for digital in-cab signalling on some services using the East Coast Main Line. The work is part of the £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which will replace traditional lineside signals with real‑time, continuous information delivered directly to the driver’s cab. Over the long term it will deliver more reliable, greener and even safer journeys.

Digital signalling for some services between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin in Hertfordshire began in August.

The work will see updates made to diagnostic systems, data and software to improve reliability. This will help prepare for more trains and services to begin using digital in-cab signalling during 2027.

There will also be a range of other essential track and lineside improvement work taking place, including:

Further work to deliver step-free access at Alexandra Palace

Renewal of track at New Southgate

Track renewal near Potters Bar

Station canopy work at Bowes Park

Improvements to overhead line electrical equipment at various locations

Ricky Barsby, Network Rail head of access integration (ECDP) said: “We have begun to introduce digital in-cab signalling to the East Coast Main Line and we’re getting ready to extend its use to more services. When all trains operate with digital signalling there will be reliability benefits through less reliance on trackside equipment and better ability to recover from disruption. We are also taking the opportunity to do other vital engineering work on the track and lineside to improve the reliability of day-to-day services.

“We’re sorry to anyone whose journey will be affected. Those customers who have choice about when they can travel may want to consider travelling on days before or after, which are unaffected by work. For those who need to travel on the affected weekend, we have plans in place to keep passengers moving.”

A spokesperson for the train operators said: “We’re working with Network Rail to help passengers plan their journeys while these important upgrades take place. No trains will be able to run on the East Coast Main Line between Peterborough or Letchworth Garden City and London on 28-29 November. Passengers should check before they travel and allow extra time, as services will be significantly altered and rail replacement services will be in operation for many journeys.”

Passengers using rail replacement services are reminded to only bring luggage they can carry comfortably, which doesn’t exceed the limits of the operator they are travelling with, and be mindful of transfer times between train and bus/coach.

Check details of all parts of your journey with your train operator or National Rail at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ before travelling.

All the details of travel arrangements by train operator:

Grand Central:

No services will run all weekend. On Monday 30 November, the 07.48 London King’s Cross to Sunderland service will not run.

Great Northern and Thameslink:

No trains will run between Moorgate/London St Pancras/London King’s Cross and Letchworth Garden City/Peterborough all weekend.

A shuttle train service will run between Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge/Ely/Kings Lynn.

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Bedford and Peterborough via St Neots/Huntingdon

Hitchin and Peterborough, calling at all stations

Hitchin and Letchworth Garden City

Stevenage and Luton Airport Parkway via Hitchin

Alexandra Palace and Stevenage via Hertford North, calling at all stations

St Albans City and Stevenage, calling at Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Welwyn North and Knebworth

Alexandra Palace and Welwyn Garden City, calling at New Southgate, Oakleigh Park, New Barnet, Cockfosters (London Underground), Potters Bar, Brookmans Park, Welham Green and Hatfield

Cockfosters (London Underground) and Potters Bar via Hadley Wood

Ticket acceptance will be in place on Thameslink services between London St Pancras and Bedford, and on Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street and Hertford East/Cambridge North.

Paper rail tickets will be accepted on London Overground services between London Liverpool Street and Enfield Town, and on the following London Underground services:

Central line between Bank and Liverpool Street

Piccadilly line between King’s Cross St Pancras and Cockfosters

Northern line between Bank and High Barnet

Victoria line between King’s Cross St Pancras and Tottenham Hale

And on the following London bus services:

Routes 107/307/384 between New Barnet and High Barnet

Route 21 between Moorgate and Drayton Park

Routes 29/N29/91/N91/141/144/W3 between London King’s Cross/Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace

Hull Trains:

An amended timetable will run between Hull and London St Pancras. Two trains will run in each direction on Saturday, and three trains will run in each direction on Sunday. Trains will not call at Beverley, Cottingham, Doncaster, Retford or Grantham.

LNER:

Most services will start and terminate at Peterborough, with rail replacement coaches connecting customers to Bedford where Thameslink trains will operate to London St Pancras.

On Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November, there will also be some return train services from Newcastle to Bedford, where customers can connect onto Thameslink services to London – allowing them to complete their journey by train. For more information and to book tickets, customers should visit: https://www.lner.co.uk/news/book-your-tickets-to-and-from-london-via-bedford/.

Lumo:

Trains which usually run between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street will run a reduced service between Newcastle and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street only.