News

Engineering works to shut rail routes through Enfield on two January weekends

Upgrades to digital signals will see all Great Northern trains cancelled and replaced with buses

credit Network Rail
credit Network Rail

Major engineering work will see rail routes through Enfield completely closed on two consecutive weekends in January.

Network Rail engineers will be working on the East Coast Main Line, between London King’s Cross and Peterborough, as well as between King’s Cross, Finsbury Park, and Moorgate, over the weekends of 6th-7th January and 13th-14th January, meaning there will be no rail services between London and Peterborough, Letchworth Garden City and Stevenage via Hertford North.

All stations on the Hertford Loop Line operated by Great Northern – including Crews Hill, Gordon Hill, Enfield Chase, Grange Park, Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green in Enfield borough – will be closed on both weekends. In addition, Hadley Wood and New Southgate stations will also be closed.

A rail replacement service described by Network Rail as “extremely limited” will run for passengers. These will also stop at Cockfosters to connect with London Underground’s Piccadilly Line trains.

During the engineering work, teams will be carrying out further improvements to the trackwork in the area, adjusting overhead line equipment, and testing newly-installed cabling and equipment that will make the new system function.

Traditional, lineside signals will be removed and replaced with signaling displayed inside drivers’ cabs. Network Rail says the change will “lead to more reliable journeys for passengers and a greener railway”.

At the same time, a separate project will be focusing on improving mobile phone signal inside the tunnels at the mouth of King’s Cross Station.

Ricky Barsby, head of access and integration for the East Coast Digital Programme, said: “Work is progressing well on this pioneering project and we continue to prepare the way for changing the way train services operate on the East Coast Main Line.

“This work has been scheduled years in advance and while we never want to disrupt passengers’ journeys, these upgrades are vital to delivering a more resilient, more reliable and greener railway for the future.

“We want to thank passengers for their patience and understanding and encourage them to check their journey before travelling.”

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Great Northern, said: “We are sorry that some of our customers travelling between London and Peterborough or King’s Lynn will have more difficult journeys during the first two weekends in January.

“We expect the rail replacement bus services over these weekends to be busy and customers may have to queue. We’re therefore encouraging our customers to leave extra time to complete their journeys – as well as checking trains before setting out for the station.

“As ever, we’d like to thank our customers for their patience while this vital work is carried out to make our rail network more reliable and resilient.”

There will be further engineering work taking place next month between Saturday 17th and Tuesday 20th February, with buses replacing trains.

For more information about the East Coast Digital Programme:
Visit
eastcoastdigitalprogramme.co.uk


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