Christmas Eve passengers warned no London King's Cross direct services
- Published
Engineering work is being carried out as part a digital upgrade on the East Coast Main Line, which transport bosses say will lead to more reliable journeys
Rail passengers travelling on Christmas Eve have been warned there are no direct trains between the north-east of England and London King's Cross.
Engineering works are being carried out by Network Rail on Sunday as part of digital signalling upgrades between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin.
LNER will be operating a reduced service starting and terminating at St Neots or Peterborough.
Sarah Hewlett, from Network Rail, said work was planned "years in advance".
"We do try and avoid times where it will cause change to passengers but this isn't always possible," she added.
Passengers traveling between Middlesbrough and Newcastle on Saturday have faced delays, after a fire broke out on a train between Stockton and Sunderland, rail operator Northern said.
Services between Stockton and Newcastle were also disrupted due to theft of railway equipment.
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East Coast Main Line services are not affected.
'Check timetables'
The engineering work on Sunday impacts LNER trains travelling in both directions.
Rail replacement coaches will run between St Neots and Bedford, where customers can join EMR or Thameslink services to London St Pancras.
Passengers, including those travelling from Newcastle, have been advised that LNER services will finish earlier than usual ahead of the Christmas holiday
Grand Central will operate no services on Sunday, while Lumo services will only operate between Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Passengers have also been advised that LNER services will finish earlier than usual ahead of the Christmas holiday, external, and people should check timetables.
A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, Lumo, and Grand Central said passengers should check before they travel.
"Our teams will be working incredibly hard to keep passengers on the move and to make sure they reach their intended destination as quickly as possible while these upgrades are carried out," they added.
The billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme project will see traditional, lineside signals replaced with signalling displayed inside drivers' cabs.
Transport bosses have said it will lead to "more reliable journeys" for passengers and a "greener" railway.
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- Published30 November 2023
