Amended rail service this weekend

Rail passengers are being urged to plan ahead as continuing signal work is set to disrupt services including at Lynn.Great Northern and Thameslink said digital signalling improvement work will cause “significant alterations” to services along the East Coast Mainline and Hertford Loop into London on Sunday, June 15.Many journeys will involve a rail replacement bus and take much longer than normal. On Sunday there will be no trains between: Finsbury Park and London King’s Cross/London St Pancras, Peterborough/Royston and Potters Bar, Hertford North and Stevenage and an amended train service will operate between Royston and Cambridge/Ely/Lynn.

Passengers looking to travel from Peterborough station will find replacement bus services between Peterborough and Bedford via Huntingdon and St Neots.The engineering work is part of the government-funded £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which is introducing digital signalling technology to create a more reliable, efficient and greener railway.Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said: “This important work by Network Rail working on the East Coast Digital Programme will cause significant changes to all train services running down the East Coast Main Line to Finsbury Park and London. “Please, if you plan to travel on Sunday, June 15, plan ahead online at nationalrail.co.uk, allow plenty of extra time and check the state of the service before you leave for the station.”Ricky Barsby, Network Rail head of access integration for the East Coast Digital Programme, said: “We’re continuing the rigorous programme of testing that is required ahead of the introduction of digital, in-cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line. Changing the way we signal trains will make our railway fit for the future, with more reliable and greener journeys.“We have planned the testing carefully and this particular work will only affect journeys only on the Sunday, not the whole weekend. We thank all passengers affected for their patience and understanding.”