Northern City Line closed on Sunday 9 October for further testing of digital signalling

Network Rail have issued the following press release about digital signalling tests that mean Moorgate train services will be diverted to and from King's Cross on Sunday 9 October:

Passengers intending to use the Northern City Line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate on Sunday 9 October are asked to plan ahead and check before they travel as work is taking place to further test digital signalling on the route.

There will be no services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate and intermediate stations will be closed. Trains to and from Moorgate will be diverted into London King's Cross.

Passengers are advised to allow plenty of time for their journey and check before travelling via National Rail Enquires or greatnorthernrail.com

The Government funded East Coast Digital Programme will see traditional signals removed from the tracks and replaced with state-of-the-art digital signalling technology. This will reduce delays and enable a more reliable service for passengers.

It will involve a new operating system, linked to a computer screen in the driver’s cab, that continuously communicates with each train, rather than relying on fixed lineside signals. Testing is ongoing throughout 2022 to ensure that Great Northern’s train fleet, already fitted with the technology, works with the necessary digital infrastructure. It is expected that in early 2023 driver training will begin and the first passenger services on the Northern City Line will be digitally signalled.

Toufic Machnouk, Network Rail’s Director, Industry Partnership for Digital Railway, said: “This work marks another vital step in the move to digital signalling, with the testing now involving multiple trains at once. We’re making exciting progress towards enabling more reliable journeys through technology.

“I’m sorry for any impact on passengers’ journeys and would ask everybody to check before you travel. Most of our testing is done outside of normal hours but occasionally we need a more extended period to ensure our process is thorough.”

Great Northern and Thameslink Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders said: “I’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding. This vital work will modernise our railway means train travel and make it more reliable.

“We’re doing our best to keep disruption to a minimum but if you’re travelling to our stations between Finsbury Park and Moorgate on Sunday, then please plan ahead using National Rail Enquiries’ online journey planner.”

ENDS