Seven-day-a-week service to the City better for late-returning commuters and weekend shoppers

Responding to stakeholder feedback, Great Northern is delighted to be creating a seven-day-a-week train service from Finsbury Park to Moorgate in the heart of the City, which will be better for shoppers and late-returning commuters.

From 13 December, inner suburban route trains which previously ran into King’s Cross at night and at weekends will operate to Moorgate in the centre of London, via the Northern City Line stations of Drayton Park, Highbury & Islington, Essex Road and Old Street.

With fast, step-free, cross-platform connections with the Victoria line to the West End at Highbury & Islington, it will also give people along the suburban rail route from Welwyn and Hertford, Stevenage and Letchworth, access to the Westfield shopping centre and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at Stratford via London Overground.

It will also provide access to the nightspots of Shoreditch at Old Street and interchanges with the Northern line.

There will still be services into King’s Cross from the longer distance fast and semi-fast Great Northern services from stations such as Peterborough and Cambridge and anyone for King’s Cross travelling on the inner suburban service should change at Highbury & Islington for the cross-platform interchange with the Victoria Line to King’s Cross; National Rail tickets are interavailable between these two locations.

Hertfordshire County Councillor Derrick Ashley, Executive Member for Environment, Planning and Transport, said: “The county council welcomes the reintroduction of late night and weekend services to Moorgate which will improve connectivity and deliver a consistent pattern of service.”

Great Northern Passenger Service Director Keith Jipps said: “Our new seven-day-a-week service will connect communities to the heart of the City at night-time and at weekends which will be better for late-returning commuters, partygoers travelling to the night spots of Old Street and nearby Shoreditch and weekend shoppers at Westfield. It’s what stakeholders said they wanted and we’re delighted to be able to deliver it.”

ends

Notes to editors

Drayton Park does not have the capacity to safely handle the large numbers of passengers going to the nearby Emirates Stadium and will therefore be closed for two hours before and after each Arsenal game at weekends to protect the safety of passengers. During the week, current arrangements will apply (which is to close the station only after a match). Passengers are advised to use Finsbury Park station instead.

For more information call 03454700789 or email press.office@gtrailway.com

Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) began running Thameslink (Bedford to Brighton, Sutton and Wimbledon) and Great Northern (London to Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn) rail services on 14 September 2014. A small number of services and stations previously operated by Southeastern transferred to GTR in December 2014 and on 26 July 2015 the Southern and Gatwick Express routes were incorporated into the franchise.

GTR is now the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 273 million passenger journeys per year, employs around 6,500 people and generates annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn. www.thameslinkrailway.com