Peterborough train passengers warned of Christmas disruption

Peterborough train passengers are being warned of major disruption on services over Christmas.

Network Rail and train operators are reminding passengers to check each day before they travel throughout the entire festive period as further upgrade work for the billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) and Cambridge South station takes place over the festive period.

Upgrade work continues for the East Coast Digital Programme on Christmas Eve, affecting journeys between London and Peterborough, Ely and King’s Lynn.

The project will see traditional, lineside signals replaced with signalling displayed inside drivers’ cabs, which will lead to more reliable journeys for passengers and a greener railway.

On Christmas Eve, work continues to focus on the stretch between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin and will see further installation and testing of key equipment in preparation for trains to operate using digital signalling in this area from 2025.

Christmas Eve disruption

On 24 December, buses will replace trains for Great Northern and Thameslink passengers travelling between:

Potters Bar and St Neots

Potters Bar and Royston

Hertford North and Stevenage

Before 9am buses will also replace trains between Finsbury Park and Potters Bar/Hertford North.

Great Northern will operate train shuttle services between London King’s Cross and Potters Bar, Moorgate and Hertford North, and London St Pancras and Finsbury Park, from where customers will be able to connect into rail replacement bus services between:

St Neots and Bedford

Hitchin and Royston

Hitchin and St Neots

Stevenage and Luton Airport Parkway via Hitchin

Hitchin and St Albans City via Welwyn Garden City

Potters Bar and Stevenage

Hertford North and Stevenage

Thameslink and Great Northern customers are also reminded that services on all routes will finish earlier on Christmas Eve. All services will finish by 9pm, but on some routes it may be considerably earlier.

As normal there will be no Thameslink or Great Northern services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

Further disruption planned in January

Sarah Hewlett, Network Rail’s Programme Manager for East Coast Digital Programme, said: “The East Coast Digital Programme will transform the way trains operate on the East Coast Main Line and will result in a more reliable, resilient, and greener railway for our passengers.

“We want to thank passengers for their patience and understanding ahead of this vital work, especially as people travel ahead of Christmas, and appreciate that their journeys will take longer than normal."

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for GTR, said: “We are sorry that some of our customers will have more difficult journeys over the festive period while this vital work to improve journeys between London, Peterborough and Cambridge is carried out.

We would like to thank our customers for their patience and encourage them to check their journey each day before they travel over this period”.

There will be further ECDP work taking place over the weekends of 6/7 and 13/14 January, with no direct train services to and from London King’s Cross, St Pancras via Finsbury Park and Moorgate. Buses will replace trains for all stations between London and Grantham/Letchworth Garden City.