Weekend rail disruption for signalling upgrade works to affect East of England routes

Weekend rail disruption for signalling upgrade works is set to affect passengers across parts of the East of England this Saturday and Sunday. Trains through Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and parts of Cambridgeshire will be hit by planned engineering works carried out by Network Rail.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Weekend rail disruption and affected East of England routes

Network Rail has confirmed that a substantial stretch of railway south of Peterborough will be closed between Saturday and Sunday as part of major East Coast Digital Programme upgrade work. This closure, as part of weekend rail disruption East of England, is needed so engineers can carry out signalling work and other planned upgrades while no trains are running.

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East Coast Digital Programme and digital in-cab signalling

The shutdown allows teams to install digital in-cab signalling as part of the £1.4bn East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which aims to deliver greener, safer and more reliable journeys for passengers. These East Coast Main Line digital signalling works also cover further testing of the new system before it is brought into operation on the route. The wider role of ECDP in modernising UK rail signalling has been highlighted by Railway Supply.

LNER replacement buses and changes to other operators

During the closure, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) will run LNER replacement buses Peterborough to Bedford, where passengers will be able to transfer to train services towards London St Pancras. Over the same weekend, additional Network Rail engineering works are scheduled, including track renewal at Letchworth Garden City, rerailing at Welwyn and Wymondley, and drainage improvements in the Stevenage area.

These works mean several operators will see timetable changes. Grand Central services will not run at all, while Hull Trains will operate an amended service to and from London St Pancras. There will also be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains between Potters Bar and Peterborough/Royston, or on the route between Hertford North and Stevenage.

Sunday morning buses and passenger advice

Further adjustments apply on Sunday morning. Before 09:40 BST, buses will replace trains between Finsbury Park and Stevenage via Hertford North, extending the impact of the weekend rail disruption for signalling upgrade works. Ricky Barsby, Network Rail’s head of access integration for the ECDP, said the work taking place, including further testing, is part of preparations for the introduction of digital in-cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line and that the organisation is using the same opportunity to carry out vital work at other East Coast locations.

Passengers are advised to check Network Rail’s website for further information on the planned disruption.

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