Further in-cab digital signalling testing will take place between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin later this month.
Rail passengers are urged to check before they travel at the end of November due to testing on the East Coast Main Line through Hertfordshire.
Thameslink and Great Northern services between London and Peterborough/King’s Lynn will be affected, with rail replacement bus services in place.
No long-distance trains will operate between St Neots and London King's Cross on either Saturday, November 30 or Sunday, December 1.
The £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme will see traditional, lineside signals replaced with signalling displayed inside drivers’ cabs. Network Rail says this will mean more reliable journeys and a greener railway for passengers in the future.
On Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1, further high speed testing will take place of the recently installed system between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin.
This is part of ongoing preparations for trains to run on this route using digital signalling from late 2025.
As a result, there will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains running between Potters Bar and St Neots, Potters Bar and Royston, or between Hertford North and Stevenage on Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1.
Instead, rail replacement buses will be in operation, with passengers reminded to check before they travel and leave extra time for their journeys.
Long distance services on the East Coast Main Line will also be affected by the works.
Ricky Barsby, Network Rail’s head of access integration, ECDP, said: “The testing work is a further step towards 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 greener railway.
“We recognise the work will lead to journeys taking longer over that weekend. We thank all those affected for their patience and understanding.”
The East Coast Digital Programme is being delivered in partnership with all train operators which operate on the East Coast Main Line to deliver the first-of-a-kind signalling project.
Jenny Saunders, Thameslink and Great Northern’s customer services director, said: “I thank customers for their patience whilst Network Rail carries out this vital work, which will improve the reliability of services in the long run.
"There will be rail replacement buses to help keep customers on the move and I urge people to plan their journeys and allow plenty of extra time.”
The European Train Control System (ETCS) testing planned for November 30 and December 1 is expected to involve a Great Northern Class 717 commuter train and a Grand Central Class 180 passenger train.
Testing and proving will continue between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin stations at various stages in the coming months, involving different trains and onboard systems.
More detail on rail replacement buses / train diversions
On Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1
No trains will run between:
- Potters Bar and St Neots
- Potters Bar and Royston
- Hertford North and Stevenage
A rail replacement bus service will run between:
- Potters Bar and Hitchin
- Hitchin and Royston
- Hertford North and Stevenage
- St Albans City and Stevenage via Hatfield
- Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage via Hitchin
- St Neots and Bedford
- St Neots and Hitchin
Trains will run between:
- St Neots and Peterborough
- Royston and Cambridge/King's Lynn
- London King’s Cross and Potters Bar
- Moorgate and Potters Bar / Hertford North
Other affected services
Due to the in-cab signalling testing, long-distance trains in and out of London King’s Cross will also be affected.
LNER will be operating a reduced service starting and terminating at St Neots or Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will run between St Neots and Bedford, where customers can join Thameslink or East Midlands Railway (EMR) services to London St Pancras.
Hull Trains will be running a reduced train service of two trains in each direction which will divert and terminate in London St Pancras.
Lumo will operate a reduced service involving a non-stop rail replacement coach between London King’s Cross and Peterborough.
There will be no Grand Central services.
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.”
EMR 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 for rail replacement services to St Neots.
Thameslink and Great Northern services will be running into King's Cross, but only between Potters Bar and London, with onward journeys northwards served by rail replacement buses.
The advice from Network Rail and train operators is to check before you travel by using www.nationalrail.co.uk or by checking train operator websites.
Digital signalling
Digital signalling, using European Train Control System (ETCS), is a proven technology already in use in many countries in Europe and elsewhere.
The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) will see the first introduction of ETCS to an intercity mainline in Great Britain, and will provide the foundation for the future expansion of digital signalling across the network.
ETCS is currently in use in the central London section of Thameslink and on the Cambrian Line in Wales, and now on the Northern City Line (Finsbury Park to Moorgate), in the first stage of ECDP.
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