Rail replacement buses to run between Peterborough and Hitchin for next two weekends

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel as Network Rail renews a vital piece of the East Coast Main Line in Bedfordshire as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan.

The switches and crossings – also known as ‘points’ which allow trains to move from one track to another – near Sandy are to be completely renewed in a £3.6m project that will increase the reliability and performance of one of Britain’s busiest rail routes.

The work will require all lines of the railway to be closed at Sandy on the weekend of February 4/5 and the weekend of February 11/12, meaning bus replacement services or longer journeys, with passengers advised to check before they travel with their train operator or with National Rail Enquiries.

Customers are advised that rail replacement buses will run in two formations: fast between Hitchin and Peterborough, stopping at St Neots and Huntingdon, and all stations Peterborough-Huntingdon-St Neots-Sandy-Biggleswade-Arlesey-Hitchin.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “This renewal project is part of our Railway Upgrade Plan and will increase the reliability of a section of track which is very heavily used by passenger and freight services every day, with the result being a better railway for passengers travelling not just through Bedfordshire but along the entire length of the East Coast Main Line.

“There isn’t ever a good time to disrupt passengers but it is essential that this piece of work is carried out when trains are not running, and I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”