Great Northern rail passengers are being warned of six weekends of track closures between Finsbury Park and Moorgate this summer.
There will be weekend service changes on the Northern City Line, one of the most important routes into the City of London, as part of a major project to create the first intercity digital railway in the UK.
Work to upgrade track and signalling on the route is a key stage of the East Coast Digital Programme, which includes fitting trains with the latest in-cab signalling technology and removing the old lineside signals.
There will be six weekends of track closures between Finsbury Park and Moorgate station in London as Network Rail teams work to install the new equipment.
These closures will be in place on the following dates:
- Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20
- Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27
- Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11
- Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8
- Saturday, August 28, Sunday, August 29 and Bank Holiday Monday, August 30
- Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5.
During these closures, trains will be diverted into London King's Cross station.
The planned weekend closures between Finsbury Park and Moorgate come after Network Rail completed track improvement work into King's Cross station.
Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “I apologise to those customers who will be affected by these weekend closures.
“However, I'm sure passengers using our services to and from Moorgate into the City of London will really welcome the improvement in reliability this work will bring.
“The future benefits of digital train control to both the main line and our Hertford loop customers, will also be significant.”
Once completed, signallers will be able to communicate with trains continuously rather than only at fixed signal points, responding in real time, which will benefit passengers by reducing delays and improving performance.
However, to carry out this vital work, there will be some temporary service changes for passengers over six weekends this summer.
Passengers who need to travel during this time are advised to plan ahead via National Rail Enquiries or via greatnorthernrail.com.
Toufic Machnouk, programme director for East Coast Digital Programme, said: “The East Coast Digital Programme is fundamental to improving reliability on the Northern City Line and the work taking place this summer is vital to keep the programme on track.
“The work does mean some changes to services, so I’d like to remind all passengers travelling on these routes to check before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator.
"I’d also like to thank passengers for their patience whilst this vital work takes place.”
There may be further dates when work is required and Network Rail and Great Northern will keep passengers informed of any additional impact on services.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services.
Great Northern services run between London and Welwyn Garden City, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn.
Full travel information will be available at National Rail Enquiries and Great Northern's website.
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