No trains in or out of London King’s Cross, or on Thameslink services to or from St Pancras International via Finsbury Park, on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October, as Network Rail works continue on the East Coast Upgrade.
The £1.2bn East Coast Upgrade will change journeys for the better between London, the North and Scotland. It will make way for more services on the East Coast Main Line to meet future passenger demand and bring a more reliable railway.
Over the weekend, Network Rail engineers will carry out vital work to test the new signalling system and replace overhead wires in and around King’s Cross Station.
This next step in the project will allow for more reliable passenger journeys, but it can only be carried out safely when there are no trains in the area.
The following changes to services will be in place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October:
- LNER services to/from the north will start/end at St Neots, south of Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will run between St Neots and Bedford, where passengers can use Thameslink or East Midlands Railway services to/from London St Pancras.
- No Great Northern or Thameslink services will run into King’s Cross, Moorgate or St Pancras International via Finsbury Park. Limited replacement bus services will run between Potters Bar and St Albans, where passengers can link with Thameslink services to/from London St Pancras. Buses will also run between Potters Bar and Cockfosters to connect with London Underground services to/from central London.
- On the Hertford North line, all stations between Gordon Hill and Alexandra Palace will be served by a bus replacement service to/from Turnpike Lane Tube station. Passengers should use London Underground services for onward connections to/from central London.
- Hull Trains services will be subject to alteration over the weekend.
- Grand Central will have no services operating throughout the weekend. The 17:30 Sunderland to King’s Cross service on Friday 16th October and the 08:27 King’s Cross to Sunderland service on Monday 19th October will also not run.
Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We’re making good progress on the project to improve access into and out of King’s Cross. Unfortunately, while a lot of the work is being carried out with no disruption to passengers, some key activities just cannot be done safely while trains are running. On Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October we need to make changes to the signalling and power lines, and we can only do that by stopping trains coming in and out of the station.
“We’re advising people not to travel to London over the weekend, but those who do need to should check their journeys via National Rail Enquiries, at EastCoastUpgrade.co.uk or with their train operator and allow plenty of time. Thank you for your continued patience as we progress with these vital improvements.”
Image: Network Rail
