Passengers travelling with Thameslink and Great Northern, between Finsbury Park and Peterborough, are advised to check their journeys and plan ahead as major digital signalling upgrades will cause significant changes to services into London on Sunday 15 June.
As part of the government-funded GBP 1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), work will be taking place between Finsbury Park and Peterborough, affecting both the East Coast Main Line and the Hertford Loop. The programme is introducing state-of-the-art digital signalling to improve the reliability, capacity and sustainability of the railway.
Finsbury Park signalling works
There will be no train services operating between:
- Finsbury Park and London King’s Cross / St Pancras
- Peterborough / Royston and Potters Bar
- Hertford North and Stevenage
An amended timetable will be in place for:
- Royston and Cambridge / Ely / King’s Lynn
- Potters Bar and Moorgate
- Hertford North and Moorgate
- London St Pancras and Gatwick / Brighton
Rail replacement buses will operate on the following routes:
- Potters Bar and Hitchin
- St Albans and Stevenage via Hatfield
- Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage via Hitchin
- Hitchin and Royston
- Peterborough and Bedford via Huntingdon and St Neots
- Hertford North and Stevenage
Trains that are running will be diverted to and from Moorgate instead of King’s Cross or St Pancras.
The works are part of preparations to roll out the European Train Control System (ETCS), which uses digital, in-cab signals to replace traditional trackside signals. The changes aim to improve service reliability, allow more trains to run, and reduce the environmental impact of rail travel.
Sunday’s works include:
- High-speed digital signalling testing between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin
- Preparatory works for future upgrades between Biggleswade and Peterborough
Recent milestones in the programme include the complete removal of traditional signals on the Northern City Line, which now operates fully on digital signalling.
“This important work by Network Rail will mean significant changes to services into and out of London. We urge passengers to check their journeys before travelling and allow extra time on Sunday 15 June,” Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said.
“This testing is essential to preparing for digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line. We’ve limited the disruption to Sunday only, and we thank passengers for their patience,” Ricky Barsby, Head of Access Integration for the East Coast Digital Programme at Network Rail, added.
Impact on other operators
- LNER will run a reduced service to and from Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will connect Peterborough and Bedford, where passengers can continue to London St Pancras via Thameslink.
- Grand Central services will start and terminate at Peterborough with coach links to King’s Cross. There will be no service to or from Bradford.
- Hull Trains will divert to operate in and out of London St Pancras.
- Lumo services will include a direct coach between London King’s Cross and Peterborough.
Testing on the weekend will include use of Grand Central Class 180 and GTR Class 717 trains, with high-speed runs between Finsbury Park and Huntingdon. These tests will use the newly enabled General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), bringing the network closer to deploying ETCS over GPRS for the first time on a UK mainline railway.
Additional infrastructure work on under-track crossings will also take place between Biggleswade and Peterborough on Sunday evening following completion of the testing.
Passengers can check the latest travel information at nationalrail.co.uk.
Share on:
