East Coast Digital Programme

 

 

The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) is a landmark scheme that will introduce in-cab digital signalling on the southern part of the East Coast Main Line, between London King’s Cross and Grantham.

Major upgrades affecting train services on Sunday 15th March.

As work continues to modernise the railway’s signalling system, services on the East Coast Main Line will be significantly impacted on these dates 

Journeys to and from London will take considerably longer than normal and passengers are advised to check before they travel.

Please also note that separate upgrade work (not part of ECDP) is affecting services between York and Newcastle every weekend between 7 and 29  March.

 

Sunday 15 March

How will passenger services be impacted?

Grand Central

There will be no Grand Central services.

Hull Trains

Hull Trains will be running an amended train service which will divert to run to and from London St Pancras International.

LNER

LNER will be operating an amended service starting and terminating at Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will run between Peterborough and Bedford, where customers can join Thameslink services to London St Pancras.

 

NB - Passengers traveling between the North and London are strongly advised to use LNER services to and from Peterborough and

apply a search filter to specify travel via Peterborough. Please avoid travelling via Sheffield, Derby or Chesterfield if possible due to extremely high customer numbers on this route.

 

Further scheduled engineering work between Newcastle and York on Sunday 15 March means that LNER services will also be operating on a diversionary route. Trains to and from the north east and Scotland will be extended by up to 90 minutes and trains will not call at Durham, Darlington and Northallerton on this date.

 

Lumo

Lumo will operate an amended service between Edinburgh and Newcastle only.

 

Thameslink and Great Northern

There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains between Potters Bar and Letchworth Garden City/St Neots, between Hertford North and Stevenage, or between Moorgate and Finsbury Park.

An amended train service will run between:

• St Neots and Peterborough
• Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge/Kings Lynn
• London King’s Cross/Moorgate and Potters Bar / Hertford North
• Finsbury Park and Brighton

   Rail Replacement buses will run between

• Hertford North – Stevenage via Watton at Stone
• Luton Airport Parkway – Stevenage
• Hitchin – Letchworth Garden City
• Potters Bar – Hitchin
• St Albans City – Stevenage via Hatfield
• St Neots – Hitchin,
• St Neots – Bedford

Upcoming impacts on train services

After Sunday 15 March there will be no further significant route closures arising from ECDP work until summer 2026.

Upcoming affected dates are listed below. This is the agreed industry plan but may be subject to alteration.

Customers are advised to plan ahead and check before they travel during these periods.

Saturday 29 August evening (2200) to Monday 31 August morning (0800)

No trains between Potters Bar and Peterborough/Royston.

No trains between Stevenage and Hertford North

Saturday 14 November and Sunday 15 November

No trains between Potters Bar and Peterborough/Letchworth Garden City.

No trains between Stevenage and Hertford North

Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November

No trains between London King’s Cross and Peterborough/Letchworth Garden City.

No trains between Moorgate and Stevenage via Hertford North

Work on the East Coast Main Line is taking place as part of the Government-funded transformational East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), that will see state-of-the-art digital signalling introduced, providing continuous, real-time information to the driver’s cab. This is aimed at improving reliability for passengers, while also reducing emissions. The digital technology is already being used on Great Northern passenger services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate in London.

If you would like to know more about ECDP please visit the East Coast Digital Programme