Network Rail are pushing on with work just outside of King’s Cross station which is part of the £1.2 billion East Coast Main Line upgrade, the route which connects Edinburgh to London.
There will be major weekend service changes throughout November ahead of a six-day closure of King’s Cross at Christmas.
Network Rail teams are working tenaciously to reopen a disused railway tunnel, streamline the track layout on the approach to King’s Cross station and increase the number of tracks into the station from four to six.
Once this work is completed, along with other improvements across the route, will mean an increase in capacity on the line.
The East Coast Upgrade is the largest investment into the East Coast Main Line in a generation and will bring more services and a more reliable railway for passengers, as well as enhancing connectivity between London, the North and Scotland.
Passengers who plan to travel on the following dates are advised to check before they travel:
- Saturday, 14 and Sunday 15 November, there will be a reduced service in and out of King’s Cross station. On the Sunday, there will also be no service to/from St Pancras via Finsbury Park and buses will replace trains on the Hertford North line.
- Saturday, 21 and Sunday 22 November, there will be no services in or out of King’s Cross, to or from Moorgate and to or from St Pancras station via Finsbury Park. Passengers are advised not to travel. There will be no Great Northern or Thameslink services south of Potters Bar or Gordon Hill. Limited replacement bus services will run between Potters Bar and St Albans, where passengers can connect with Thameslink services to and from St Pancras International; and between Potters Bar, Oakwood and Cockfosters, where passengers can connect with London Underground services to and from central London.
- Potters Bar Station and these alternate arrangements both offer step-free access. On the Hertford North line, trains will terminate at Gordon Hill on the Saturday (21 November) and there will be no trains on that route on the Sunday (22 November), with replacement buses calling at all affected stations and running to/from Turnpike Lane to connect with London Underground services.
- Saturday, 28 and Sunday, 29 November, there will be a reduced service in and out of King’s Cross station. On Sunday, 29 November there will also be no service on the Hertford North line. Replacement buses will operate via affected stations.
Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail’s East Coast Upgrade, said: “The work taking place during the six-day closure at Christmas is absolutely key to the wider programme, so we’re ramping up our work ahead of this.
“This means there are changes to services throughout November, so we’d urge anyone who needs to travel in or out of London King’s Cross to plan their journey ahead of time and see what changes it means for them.
“We are sorry for the impact this will have on travellers; however, we know it will be worth it in the end and we look forward to them reaping the benefits of a more reliable railway with faster and more frequent services in the future.”
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Image: Network Rail
