Commuters heading into the capital from Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire are set to benefit from additional capacity in the rush hour, thanks to a new timetable by train operator Great Northern.

More seats will be available on services between Peterborough, Letchworth Garden City and London King’s Cross on weekdays as part of the changes set to come into place in two weeks’ time.

Great Northern’s operator, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), worked with key stakeholders and local partners to ensure the timetable put trains where they are needed most – starting on December 15.

There will be three new morning and three fast evening weekday trains to and from Letchworth, Hitchin, Knebworth, Welwyn North and London King’s Cross.

In the AM, additional services will depart Letchworth Garden City at 07:17, 07:45 and 08:17.

In the PM, additional services will depart London King’s Cross at 17:24, 17:54 and 18:24.

The additional services will depart Peterborough at 07:34 and London King’s Cross at 16:42

Passengers heading to and from Peterborough, Huntingdon, St Neots, Biggleswade and Stevenage will also benefit from an additional weekday service to and from London, in the morning and evening peaks.

This comes six months after another rush hour service was introduced in the June timetable change.

Great Northern’s customer services director, Jenny Saunders, said: “With almost one in four rail journeys in the UK being made on a GTR train, we are committed to delivering a punctual service which meets the needs of passengers in the 11 counties we serve.

“The new services in this timetable provide even more trains for commuters, giving customers more flexibility when they travel - and also plenty more seats to choose from.”

It comes as part of a wider programme of timetable changes by train operator Govia Thameslink Railway, which is responsible for one in every four journeys made by rail in the UK on its train companies Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern.