Doncaster rail passengers warned of East Coast Main Line works

Travellers are being urged to plan ahead as there will be no trains running between London King’s Cross and Peterborough over a weekend in May as work to transform the ECML continues.

Network Rail teams will be carrying out significant upgrades on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May as part of the £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).

The work represents another major milestone in the transformation to digital signalling technology that will create a more reliable, efficient, and greener railway, a Network Rail spokesperson said.

Engineers will be working over the weekend to carry out:

High-speed digital signalling testing between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin

Preparatory digital signalling work between Biggleswade and Peterborough

Removal of traditional signals between Moorgate and Finsbury Park

The high-speed testing involves running trains through the already upgraded section between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin to test the new digital signalling systems before its planned go live date in early 2026.

Additional preparatory work for digital signalling will also be undertaken for the next stage of the project between Biggleswade and Peterborough – work that is required for the future operation of in-cab signalling.

The signal removal work between Moorgate and Finsbury Park marks a significant milestone.

This section will become Britain’s first fully ‘no signals’ commuter railway, meaning trains will operate solely with in-cab digital signalling, and not with traditional, traffic-light signals. Great Northern services already use digital signalling on this stretch, and 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.

There will be no trains between Peterborough and London King’s Cross, meaning passengers travelling from further north will need to use rail replacement coaches between Peterborough and Bedford, and Thameslink trains between Bedford and London St Pancras.

Passengers should avoid travelling via Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham, or Chesterfield on East Midlands Railway services due to extremely high customer numbers on this route.

Ricky Barsby, Network Rail's head of access integration for the East Coast Digital Programme, said: “The testing work is another step towards the introduction of digital, in-cab signalling on the East Coast Main Line, enabling a more reliable and greener railway.

"The work will also see the removal of traditional signals on a stretch of commuter railway in London, pointing the way to the next generation railway.

“We recognise the work will lead to journeys taking longer over that weekend. We would like to thank all those affected for their patience and understanding.”

A spokesperson on behalf of train operators said: “Across the weekend, our colleagues will be working hard to keep people on the move and get them safely to their destination. There is rarely an ideal time to carry out such large-scale engineering work, but these upgrades will bring major improvements to customer journeys in the future. We want to thank all of our customers for their understanding across the weekend.”

During the railway closure, engineers will also renew and refurbish track switching equipment near Hornsey and Huntingdon, while completing drainage work near Fletton. These improvements will allow for smoother, more reliable journeys on the East Coast Main Line.

*Changes to train services

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May

LNER

LNER services will run a reduced service starting and terminating at Peterborough.

Rail replacement buses will run between Peterborough and Bedford, where passengers can join Thameslink services to London St Pancras.

Please note, East Midlands Railway services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy and it is also the FA Cup Final weekend.

Passengers travelling between Leeds/Doncaster/Newcastle/Edinburgh and London are strongly advised to use LNER services to and from Peterborough and rail replacement coaches between Bedford and Peterborough, which connect with Thameslink services to London St Pancras. Please avoid travelling via Sheffield, Derby or Chesterfield if possible due to extremely high customer numbers on this route.

Grand Central

A reduced train service will be running from Sunderland to Peterborough, with rail replacement connections to London King’s Cross.

No services to and from Bradford.

Hull Trains

A reduced service will run to/from London St Pancras International.

There will be no Hull Trains services calling at Beverley/Cottingham/Doncaster/Retford/Grantham or Stevenage.

LUMO

Services between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh will run a reduced service.

Rail replacement bus services will run between London King’s Cross and Peterborough to connect to some train services.

Great Northern/Thameslink

No trains will run between:

London and Peterborough

London and Royston

Moorgate and Stevenage (via Hertford North)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Peterborough and Bedford via St Neots

Peterborough and Hitchin

Royston and Hitchin

Stevenage and Hertford North

Hertford North and Alexandra Palace

Stevenage and St Albans City via Welwyn Garden City

Stevenage and Luton Airport Parkway via Hitchin

Alexandra Palace and Welwyn Garden City

Cockfosters and Potters Bar via Hadley Wood

Trains will run between:

Royston and Cambridge/Ely/Kings Lynn

Ticket acceptance will be in place on Thameslink services between Bedford and London, and on Greater Anglia services between Cambridge North/Hertford East and London Liverpool Street.