Part of East Coast Mainline to close over August bank holiday — with no direct trains to run from Newark to London Kings Cross
Direct trains between Newark and London will not run over part of the bank holiday weekend — as digital signalling tests are carried out.
No long-distance trains will operate between St Neots and London King's Cross on the East Coast Main Line from 8pm on Saturday, August 24, to 8am on Monday, August 26.
On Sunday, August 25, the first long-distance train will test the newly installed signalling system — part of the £1.4 billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) — between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin at high speed in preparation for trains to run on the route using digital signalling from late 2025.
For the testing to be carried out under controlled conditions, the railway needs to be closed.
Ed Akers, Network Rail’s industry partnership director, ECDP, said: “The testing work will take us a step closer to the introduction of digital, in-cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line, which will improve services for passengers and create a more reliable and resilient railway.
“We have carefully planned this work 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, August 25. I want to thank those passengers who will be affected for their patience and understanding of this work.”
LNER, Lumo, and Hull Trains will not be running direct services in or out of London King’s Cross during the closure, and Grand Central will be operating no services.
Rail replacement buses will be in place, with passengers reminded to leave extra time for their journeys.
LNER will be operating a reduced service starting and terminating at St Neots or Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will run between St Neots and Bedford, where customers can join Thameslink or EMR services to London St Pancras.
East Midlands Railway services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy, with customers advised to use Thameslink services and interchange at Bedford.
Thameslink and Great Northern services will be running into King's Cross, between London and Potters Bar, with onward journeys northwards served by rail replacement buses.
Check before you travel by using www.nationalrail.co.uk or by checking train operator websites.
A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, Hull Trains, Lumo and Grand Central said: “Our teams will be working extremely hard to ensure passengers reach their destination as quickly as possible while these upgrades are carried out.
“The latest travel information can be found on our websites and on our social media platforms and we advise passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel.”
