Major line upgrade means trains from Peterborough and Cambridge will not run into King's Cross, Moorgate or St Pancras on 20/21 June

• Passengers urged not to travel during latest phase of £1.2 billion upgrade by Network Rail
• Great Northern and Thameslink services from Peterborough and Cambridge will not run in or out of King’s Cross, St Pancras or Moorgate

Network Rail, with Great Northern and Thameslink, are urging passengers not to travel between Peterborough or Cambridge and London on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June, as the next stage of planned work on the huge East Coast Upgrade continues.

Trains from Peterborough and Cambridge that normally serve Kings Cross, St Pancras or Moorgate will run only as far as Potters Bar, from where replacement bus services will operate. The Saturday service between Royston and King’s Cross will not run.

Great Northern will run shuttle services between Welwyn Garden City and New Barnet, and between Stevenage and Gordon Hill, for connections via replacement bus services to London Underground stations. Early on the Sunday morning, buses will replace trains between Stevenage and Gordon Hill.

A shuttle service will also run between King’s Lynn and Cambridge. On the Saturday only, there will also be an hourly service between Ely and Potters Bar. However, anyone making an essential journey between London and Cambridgeshire or Norfolk is advised to use Greater Anglia’s Cambridge-Liverpool Street services if they have no alternative.

Thameslink’s Peterborough-Horsham and Cambridge-Gatwick Airport/Brighton services will operate only between Sussex and London Bridge.

Thameslink services between Bedford, London and Brighton via St Pancras will run as normal, except for Sunday services on the St Albans – Sutton route, which will run only between St Albans and St Pancras.

People whose journeys are really necessary, with no other way to travel between Peterborough/Cambridge and South London, Surrey or Sussex, are advised to use the replacement bus service between Potters Bar and St Albans.

Over the weekend, Network Rail will be installing new overhead line equipment, the latest stage of a £1.2 billion project that will eventually see a disused railway tunnel leading to King’s Cross reopened, allowing additional tracks to be laid so more trains can enter and exit the station. When combined with upgrades elsewhere on the route, the East Coast Upgrade will enable more reliable journeys between London, Peterborough and Cambridge.

All the work is being done under strict social distancing rules.

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “In response to the coronavirus pandemic and the need to maintain space on board for social distancing, we are already asking people to wear a face covering, avoid the busiest times of the day and think, ‘Is my journey necessary? Can I travel another way?’

“With the vital improvement work Network Rail is carrying out on 20 and 21 June on the East Coast Mainline, we would advise people not to travel at all on this part of the route. If you do have to travel on 20 or 21 June, journeys will take significantly longer than usual, so please check ahead at eastcoastupgrade.co.uk, National Rail Enquiries, or the Great Northern or Thameslink websites.”

The Great Northern website is at www.greatnorthernrail.com, and Thameslink’s is at www.thameslinkrailway.com.

Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “The COVID-19 crisis continues to bring significant challenges for the railway. However, we are working day and night to keep the railway running reliably and safely and to carry out essential work.

“On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June, we will continue with the vital £1.2 billion East Coast Upgrade programme. We’ve changed our working methods on site to make sure we can follow public health guidelines and carry on with this project, which will bring significant benefits for passengers.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Replacement buses will run between:

• Potters Bar and Cockfosters to connect with London Underground
• Potters Bar and St Albans to connect with Thameslink services
• Gordon Hill and Turnpike Lane to connect with London Underground (on Sunday morning before 9.40am, replacement services will extend to and from Stevenage)
• New Barnet and High Barnet to connect with London Underground

Please note: New Barnet and Gordon Hill stations do not have step-free access. Customers who require step-free access for an essential journey should speak to a member of station staff, press the emergency help point button, or contact our Assisted Travel team on 0808 168 1238 or text on 07970 511077.