The £1.4 billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme will see a new digital signalling system installed.

Rail passengers have been advised to plan their journeys in advance over the August bank holiday weekend due to pioneering work to test 21st century digital signalling systems on the East Coast Main Line.

There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains between Potters Bar, Peterborough and Royston, and between Hertford North and Stevenage on Sunday August 25.

Evening services from approximately 22:00 on Saturday August 24 and early morning services on Monday August 26, until 09:00 will also be affected.

Network Rail will be testing in-cab digital signalling on Great Northern routes in late August.

placeholder image — Network Rail will be testing in-cab digital signalling on Great Northern routes in late August.

Rail replacement buses will be in operation.

Long distance services on the East Coast Main Line will also be affected by the work. All of the details can be found on the Network Rail website.

The £1.4 billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme will see traditional, lineside signals replaced with signalling displayed inside drivers’ cabs, which will mean more reliable journeys and a greener railway for passengers in the future.

This is in preparation for trains to run on this route using digital signalling from late 2025.

For the testing to be carried out under controlled conditions, the railway needs to be closed in and around the affected section.

Ed Akers, Network Rail’s industry partnership director, ECDP, said: “The testing work will take us a step closer to the introduction of digital, in-cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line, which will improve services for passengers and create a more reliable and resilient railway.

“We have carefully planned this work to avoid the busiest times of the August Bank Holiday weekend, and where possible passengers may be able to avoid this disruption by travelling before or after Sunday August 25. I want to thank those passengers who will be affected for their patience and understanding of this work”.

Chris Fowler, network operations and performance director for Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Thameslink and Great Northern trains, said: “With no trains running on a key section of our route between London and Peterborough and Cambridge this August bank holiday, it’s essential that our customers plan ahead and allow plenty of extra time.”