Plan ahead message to passengers as digital signalling work affects August bank holiday journeys

Network Rail has issued the following press release about engineering works affecting Thameslink and Great Northern passengers during the August bank holiday weekend.

Passengers are advised of digital signalling work affecting journeys on the East Coast Main Line on the August bank holiday weekend.

There will be an amended service between London King’s Cross and Peterborough because of testing work as part of the East Coast Digital Programme and maintenance between Peterborough and Potters Bar.

Most of the timetable disruption affects Sunday 24 August, but some services will be affected on the evening of Saturday 23 August and the morning of Monday 25 August.

There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains between Potters Bar and Peterborough or Royston, or between Hertford North and Stevenage. Additionally, all day on the Sunday, there will be no trains between Moorgate and Finsbury Park. An amended timetable, including rail replacement buses, will be in place on Sunday 24 August, while journeys will also be affected from 8pm on Saturday 23 August and until 9am on Monday 25 August (see notes for full details).

LNER will be operate an amended service starting and terminating at Peterborough, with some other service alterations across the weekend. Passengers are encouraged to use the rail replacement coaches which will run between Peterborough and Bedford, allowing them to join Thameslink services to London St Pancras.

Lumo will operate an amended service to and from Peterborough with most services starting/terminating at Newcastle. A non-stop rail replacement coach will be provided for Lumo customers between London King’s Cross and Peterborough.

There will be no Grand Central services, while Hull Trains will run an amended timetable diverting to and from London St Pancras.

All passengers are advised to avoid travelling on EMR Intercity services via Sheffield, Derby or Chesterfield where possible due to extremely high customer numbers on the Midland Main Line.

Fans going to see Arsenal v Leeds at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 23 August should note that buses will replace trains on certain parts of the route from as early as 8pm. The last direct trains of the day will be extremely busy and journeys will take much longer after those services have run.

On Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August, the Notting Hill Carnival is taking place in London. All day on Sunday, buses replace trains on most routes and journeys will again take much longer. On Monday morning, services will start later than usual, with bus replacement services operating until around 9am

Testing is taking place involving the digitally-signalled section of the East Coast Main Line between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The work requires all lines to be closed through this section and beyond, as the testing includes transitions in and out of the digitally signalled section. Further work on associated trackside equipment is also taking place.

Passenger services are expected to begin using digital signalling through the Welwyn to Hitchin section in 2026.

There is also work taking place to improve the overhead line equipment between Sandy and Huntingdon.

Jonathan Daniels, head of ECDP integration, Network Rail, said: “The testing taking place in late August is another step forward as we work towards the introduction of digital in cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line, providing more reliable and greener services for passengers.

“The work has been carefully planned 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 24 August. I’d like to thank those passengers who will be affected for their patience and understanding of this work.”

Passengers are urged to check all parts of their journeys with train operators or National Rail before travelling.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Digital Signalling

Digital signalling, using the European Train Control System, is a proven technology already in use in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) will see the first introduction of ETCS to an intercity mainline in Britain and will provide the foundation for the future expansion of digital signalling across the network. ETCS is currently in use in the central London section of Thameslink and on the Cambrian Line in Wales, and now on the Northern City Line (Finsbury Park to Moorgate), in the first stage of ECDP. For further details about ECDP, visit www.eastcoastdigitalprogramme.co.uk.

The ECDP testing on the August bank holiday weekend will involve a Great Northern commuter Class 717 train and a Grand Central Class 180 passenger train.

Great Northern and Thameslink services:

Saturday 23 August, from approximately 20.00 until end of service

No trains will run between:

• Potters Bar and Peterborough
• Potters Bar and Royston
• Hertford North and Stevenage

From approximately 20.00, a rail replacement bus service will run between:

• Potters Bar and Hitchin
• Hitchin and Royston
• Hitchin and Peterborough
• Hertford North and Stevenage
• St Albans City and Stevenage via Hatfield
• Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage via Hitchin

Sunday 24 August

No trains will run between:

• Moorgate and Finsbury Park
• Potters Bar and Peterborough
• Potters Bar and Royston
• Hertford North and Stevenage

A rail replacement bus service will run between:

• Potters Bar and Hitchin
• Hitchin and Royston
• Hertford North and Stevenage
• St Albans City and Hitchin via Hatfield
• Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage via Hitchin
• St Neots and Bedford
• Hitchin and Peterborough

Trains will run between:

• Royston and Cambridge/King's Lynn
• London King's Cross and Potters Bar
• Finsbury Park and Potters Bar/Hertford North

Monday 25 August, from the start of service until approximately 09.00