August Bank Holiday travel disruptions for Great Northern and Thameslink trains

Thameslink and Great Northern services between London and Peterborough/King’s Lynn will be affected. 

Rail passengers are being advised to plan their journeys in advance ahead of work to test 21st century digital signalling systems on the East Coast Main Line.

The £1.4 billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme will see traditional, lineside signals replaced with signalling displayed inside drivers’ cabs, which will mean “more reliable journeys and a greener railway for passengers in the future.”

On Sunday August 25, the first long-distance train will test the newly installed system between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin at high speed.

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This is in preparation for trains to run on this route using digital signalling from late 2025. 

For the testing to be carried out under controlled conditions, the railway needs to be closed in and around the affected section.

As a result there will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains between Potters Bar, Peterborough and Royston, and between Hertford North and Stevenage on Sunday August 25. Evening services from 10pm on Saturday August 24 and early morning services on Monday August 26, until 9am will also be affected.

Rail replacement buses will keep passengers on the move, with people reminded to leave extra time for their journeys.

No long-distance trains will operate between St Neots and London King's Cross from 8pm on Saturday 24 to 8am on Monday August 26.

LNER, Lumo, and Hull Trains will also not be running direct services in or out of London King’s Cross during this period. Grand Central will be operating no services during that time.

East Midlands Railway services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy and customers are advised to use Thameslink services and interchange at Bedford.

Thameslink and Great Northern services will be running into King's Cross, but only between London and Potters Bar, with onward journeys northwards served by rail replacement buses.

Network Rail and train operators are advising customers to check before you travel.

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”.

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.”