Thameslink and Great Northern passengers reminded that no trains will travel to and from London and Peterborough/Royston this weekend (17-18 May) as work to transform East Coast Main Line continues.
Teams will carry out significant upgrades as part of £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), including removing traditional signals in a major milestone for the project.
As we prepare for a weekend of service alterations, we are today releasing an animated video to help explain ECDP and the benefits of digital in-cab signalling.
Network Rail and the passenger operators have collaborated to produce the video, which outlines the different stages involved with ECDP, and how it will ultimately deliver more reliable, less disrupted, and greener services for passengers on the East Coast Main Line.
There will be no trains this weekend between London and Peterborough/Royston, or between Moorgate and Stevenage (via Hertford North), and rail replacement buses covering various journeys*.
Network Rail colleagues will test digital signalling between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin – ahead of this section going live in early 2026 – and carry out preparatory digital signalling work between Biggleswade and Peterborough.
The signal removal work between Moorgate and Finsbury Park marks a significant milestone, as this section becomes Britain’s first fully ‘no signals’ commuter railway, with trains operating solely with in-cab digital signalling, and not the traditional, trackside traffic-light signals. Great Northern services already use digital signalling on this stretch, so removing the physical signals completes the transition to a fully digital railway route.
Due to the engineering work, there will be no services to or from London King’s Cross on 17 and 18 May. Journeys to and from London will take significantly longer than normal, and passengers are urged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they travel.
Image credit: Network Rail
