Peterborough rail passengers warned to plan ahead as timetable changes swing into operation
Rail passengers at Peterborough are being urged to plan ahead as changes to some timetables come into force.
A number of train operators have made alterations to service times with some due to kick in this weekend.
The biggest timetable change on the East Coast Main Line for about 10 years will kick in from Sunday (December 14).
It means the timings of most LNER trains calling at Peterborough will change.
In addition, Grand Central services will now be calling at Peterborough from Monday to Saturday.
Passengers will see additional LNER services to and from London King’s Cross, and shorter journey times to many locations, including Retford, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.
And LNER says that for the first time in years, the city will also gain direct connections throughout the day to and from destinations in the Highlands including Aberdeen and Inverness.
East Midlands Railway and CrossCountry services calling at Peterborough are also set to see a number of changes, including additional services to Lincoln on Saturdays and calls at the new Cambridge South station when it opens in 2026.
East Midlands Railway is also reminding customers to check if their journey has been altered when timetable changes take effect on Sunday.
Will Rogers, managing director for East Midlands Railway, said: "This timetable brings many changes to the way we operate our regional services and to make sure they don't miss their service, customers are advised to visit our website or journey planners and check to see how they are affected.
"The timetable is great news for our customers and the economy of the East Midlands.
"It makes best use of our available fleet and will be supported by our £28 million regional refurbishment programme, delivering a more comfortable and consistent customer experience.
"It will realise opportunities to operate more train services across the regional network, introduce new journey opportunities, and build-in performance improvements."
Great Northern and Thameslink will also run improved services when a new timetable is introduced on the East Coast Main Line on Sunday.
The operator says the timetable change takes advantage of a £4 billion decade-long series of upgrades made to the route to introduce new long-distance services to London from the North of England.
On the Peterborough to London King’s Cross services, weekday peak Great Northern services between Peterborough and London King’s Cross, which call at Huntingdon, St Neots, Biggleswade and Stevenage, will remain at five services per morning and afternoon/evening.
The current 08:05 service from Peterborough will be brought forward to provide an earlier fast service, departing Peterborough at 05:43.
On the Thameslink services between Peterborough, Cambridge and London, some services will have minor timing changes to allow for better connections.
Thameslink services between Cambridge and Brighton will stop at the new Cambridge South Station when it opens in June 2026.
And morning peak Thameslink services between Peterborough and Horsham will stop at Knebworth to provide faster journey times to London for Knebworth.
Long-distance train operator CrossCountry is also reminding customers of a new timetable arriving on Sunday.
The changes will see an increase in CrossCountry services, including some additional services between Reading and Newcastle and between Birmingham and Leicester.