Although not all stations will be closed for the entire period, there will be significant disruption and rail replacement buses will be in operation

A Great Northern train at Enfield Chase Station

Five weekends of engineering works affecting Great Northern and Thameslink rail services through Enfield, Barnet and Haringey have been announced – starting later this month.

Network Rail has said the weekend engineering work from Sunday, 18th January until Sunday, 15th February will deliver a range of improvements, including construction and testing as part of the ongoing £1.4billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), which replaces traditional lineside signals with “real‑time, continuous information delivered directly to the driver’s cab”.

Alongside other routine maintenance, the upgrade works mean that there will be disruption to routes in North London across five successive weekends. Although not every station will be closed for the entire period, there will be significant disruption and rail replacement buses will be in operation at many stations.

On Sunday, 18th January, there will be no Great Northern or Thameslink trains between New Barnet and Welwyn Garden City and between Hertford North and Stevenage. As well New Barnet, it means Hadley Wood Station will be closed.

On the weekend of 24th/25th January there will be no Great Northern or Thameslink trains between Alexandra Palace and Stevenage via Welwyn Garden City, meaning the closure of New Southgate, Oakleigh Park, New Barnet and Hadley Wood stations.

Across both weekends of 31st January/1st February and 7th/8th February, Great Northern and Thameslink services will not run north of Alexandra Palace, meaning a full closure of the Hertford Loop Line through Haringey and Enfield, as well as the East Coast Main Line stations at New Southgate, Oakleigh Park, New Barnet and Hadley Wood.

On these four days rail replacement buses will operate between Cockfosters and Potters Bar via Hadley Wood, between Alexandra Palace and Stevenage via Hertford North, and between Alexandra Palace and Welwyn Garden City.

A normal service will run on Saturday, 14th February, with Network Rail seemingly keen not to stop passengers celebrating Valentine’s Day. However, engineering works return on Sunday 15th, this time affecting the Moorgate line south of Finsbury Park, with rail replacement buses in operation.

Ricky Barsby, Network Rail’s head of access integration for ECDP, said: “As well as the progress we’re making on digital signalling, we’re also taking the opportunity to complete a wide range of essential maintenance and renewal work. We appreciate that these upgrades will affect journeys, and we’re grateful to passengers for their patience while our teams carry out this essential work.”

A spokesperson for Govia Thameslink Railway which operates Great Northern and Thameslink services said: “We’ll be working hard to keep passengers moving while this essential work takes place. Rail replacement services and revised timetables will help people reach their destinations, and our teams will be on hand to support customers. We encourage everyone to check their journey before travelling.”

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