Great Northern adds extra weekday rush hour trains to improve services at stations between Cambridge, Letchworth Garden City and London

Monday, 9 February: Great Northern has today added an extra weekday train to the morning rush hour with another planned for the evening peak to provide more seats and faster journeys for commuters at many stations between Cambridge, Letchworth Garden City and London King’s Cross (see editor’s notes for details).

The two services are a follow-up to the successful series of improvements Great Northern and Thameslink introduced in December last year as part of a shake-up of the East Coast Main Line timetable between the capital and York, Newcastle and Edinburgh (read December timetable press release).

The smooth introduction of December’s timetable has seen improvements in punctuality and reliability, giving Great Northern and railway industry partners the confidence to add in the two new services that had been held back.

The changes introduced today are:

• A new 0845 service from Letchworth Garden City to London King’s Cross.
• A new 1654 service from London King’s Cross to Cambridge.
• The existing 1627 service from London King’s Cross that had temporarily been extended to Cambridge in December will no longer run beyond Letchworth Garden City, but the new 1654 will maintain the service level beyond Letchworth to Cambridge where a connection can be made at the same platform.

Govia Thameslink Railway Chief Operating Officer John Whitehurst said: “The introduction of December’s new timetable has gone smoothly, adding seats for commuters or speeding journeys to and from stations between London, Hertford North, Cambridge and King’s Lynn.

“We are now confident we can complete the planned full benefits of the timetable and add these extra two services in the rush hour which will create more space for passengers when and where it is needed most.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

The new services stop at the following stations and have been added to online train service journey planners such as www.nationalrail.co.uk:

• 0845 Letchworth Garden City to London King’s Cross calling at Hitchin (0850), Stevenage (0855), Knebworth (0859), Welwyn North (0903), Welwyn Garden City (0907), Hatfield (0911), Potters Bar (0917), New Barnet (0922), Alexandra Palace (0927), Finsbury Park (0932) and London King’s Cross 0940. This restores a regular local service to and from Welwyn Garden City, plugging a gap of over one hour.
• 1654 London King’s Cross to Cambridge calling at Welwyn North (1711), Knebworth (1715), Hitchin (1723), Letchworth Garden City (1729), Baldock (1732), Ashwell & Morden (1737), Royston (1742), Meldreth (1746), Shepreth (1750), Foxton (1752), and Cambridge 1806.