East Coast Upgrade

Network Rail is renewing the track, overhead wires and signalling on the approach to London King’s Cross station, as well as building a new tunnel, located just North of Peterborough, to remove constraints to the timetable caused by slower freight trains crossing over the high-speed East Coast lines at Werrington Junction. 

The next major stage of the upgrade includes replacing tracks and a track layout which is nearly 50 years old on the 1.5-mile approach into King’s Cross. Once complete, it will help improve reliability and punctuality and will ensure the route has the capacity to deal with future passenger volumes. 

In addition, the track is being re-laid in a new layout – improving journeys in and out of King’s Cross. A disused tunnel is being reopened allowing for six tracks into the station instead of the current four. 

The signalling system from King’s Cross to Peterborough is being transferred from the King’s Cross Signal Box to the Railway Operating Centre in York as part of Network Rail’s nationwide re-signalling programme. This will allow for the signal box at King’s Cross to be demolished, opening up space for the tracks into the re-opened tunnel.  

You can find out more on the project website at www.EastCoastUpgrade.co.uk

The project at Werrington forms part of the wider East Coast Upgrade Programme.  

A new tunnel, located just North of Peterborough, will remove constraints to the timetable caused by slower freight trains crossing over the high-speed East Coast lines at Werrington Junction.  

This new ‘dive under’ will enable the new two track railway to run underneath the East Coast Main Line, separating it from any high speed passenger traffic.  

Between Saturday 16 and Sunday 24 January 2021 there will be nine day period with very limited services between Grantham and Peterborough, with most LNER customers needing to transfer to rail replacement services.

There is further work expected on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June that is expected to coincide with the further closure of King’s Cross Station.

Passengers are asked not to travel to or from London or Peterborough on these dates unless their journey is essential.

The work will mean more trains will be able to run between London, the North and Scotland with thousands of extra seats per day added. 

This work will allow LNER to run more trains and help unlock the full journey benefits of our new Azuma fleet. Journeys into and out of the station will be more reliable with fewer trains getting in each other’s way; and with straighter tracks allowing for quicker acceleration and deceleration. 

The full list of affected dates and our travel advice to passengers are on our East Coast upgrade page or by visiting the project website at www.EastCoastUpgrade.co.uk.

During periods when there are no trains to or from London King’s Cross on some Fridays and weekends the impact on those travelling south of Peterborough may be significant. We are strongly encouraging customers not to travel during these periods.

Passengers are asked to check before they travel and to avoid busy periods during the three months between March and June when there will be reduced capacity at London King’s Cross.

You should check before you travel and follow the advice relevant to your intended journey. On certain dates, this may include asking you not to travel to or from London.  

This travel advice will be updated before each period of disruption and can be found on our East Coast Upgrade page and at eastcoastupgrade.co.uk.

Yes. Even during engineering work, you must have a reservation to travel on any LNER service. These can be made up to five minutes before departure either online or by visiting one of our Travel Centres.

The station itself was modernised and revamped in 2012. However, the existing track and signalling layout has not been improved since it was installed more than 40 years ago and is in need of upgrading to meet future passenger demands. 

It will ensure that the East Coast Main Line has the capacity to deal with future passenger volumes and to bring about improvements to the reliability and punctuality of services.

The engineering work to improve the line has been going on at night and weekends for many months, but we are now at the stage where Network Rail cannot complete the upgrade work on the line and at London King’s Cross without carrying out some major work over the coming months.  

By working in partnership with Network Rail and other train operators, we will monitor passenger numbers in the run-up to and during the planned work. We'll also be running a significant passenger awareness campaign to encourage people to plan ahead, check before they travel and avoid travelling at busy times and during weekend work. 

Customers must have a reservation to travel on any LNER service, including during engineering works. Busier services (especially Friday and Monday trains) will likely sell out in advance.

Together with Network Rail, we are working closely with organisers of planned major events to make them aware of the impact to rail travellers and the alternative travel options available for them.

We strongly recommend that event-goers use alternative methods of travel to and from events while the work is happening.

Understandably, a number of key pieces of engineering work were stood down as COVID-19 took hold and social distancing measures were implemented across the country. This has caused a certain level of delay to some of the larger blockades which were due to be taking place towards the end of 2020 and at the beginning of 2021.

Fortunately, at sites such as London King’s Cross & Werrington, work has recommenced under social distancing guidelines and the above dates have been confirmed by Network Rail.

The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s most vital rail routes, carrying over 20 million passengers a year. This is a crucial upgrade that will mean more trains can run and quicker, more reliable journeys across the route are possible.
  
A lot of work has already been done at London King’s Cross but there is more to do to expand and upgrade it. We know the railway is important in getting the country moving, and the sooner this vital work is completed, the quicker we will be able to enhance our capacity and run an even more reliable service.

The number of people travelling with us is steadily rising. This once in a generation upgrade work means we are increasing capacity ready for the future.

Whilst we have started to see an increase, this work is being delivered at a time when passenger numbers are at a lower level as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on travel demand.  

Plans are being developed to support passengers in maintaining social distancing.

Our services will continue to be reservations only, ensuring that passengers are allocated a socially distanced seat onboard.

This is an industry wide decision between Network Rail, LNER and the other train operators who use London King’s Cross station.

Planned work means King’s Cross is closed, and as an industry, we simply can’t provide a train service to alternative stations that matches normal capacity. Therefore, we strongly advise you not to travel by train on the above dates.

All operators on the East Coast Main Line will be impacted by these works, but particularly those who use London King’s Cross. We strongly advise LNER customers not to travel at all by train during the more significant periods of disruption as alternative routes will also likely be very busy and should be avoided.

These planned works will result in very little inconvenience to passengers travelling within Scotland, who can continue to enjoy the benefits of our new Azuma trains. Customers should check before they travel as there may be other causes of disruption.

Get travel alerts for your upcoming journey

It’s highly probable. As we suggest above, if you must travel ensure you book well in advance and have a seat reservation. Minimising the amount of luggage you carry will also help.

Reserve a ticket

On some weekends, we are strongly advising passengers not to travel to London due to the level of disruption, however we understand that for some, travel will be unavoidable.

Alternative and rail replacement services will be in place for those passengers where travel is unavoidable. Passengers who cannot avoid travelling during these weekends must ensure they reserve a seat to travel on our services.

Journey times will be significantly longer with multiple changes required. Alternative routes will likely be very busy and should also be avoided.

Plan your journey

Rail replacement buses will be provided as needed to ensure passengers don’t get stranded at due to these works. There are a very limited number of buses available and these will not be travelling directly into London.

This is not an alternative route. All rail routes into London are extremely busy and we continue to strongly recommend to LNER customers that they do not travel during the more significant periods of disruption.

We strongly recommend you follow the travel advice listed above for each period of disruption.

Normal ticket conditions continue to apply during dates affected by planned line closures. Please check our change your ticket guidance for options to amend or refund any tickets purchased with us.

Change your train ticket

Can I claim compensation if I have accidentally booked travel on an affected service?

Department for Transport (DfT) guidelines mean compensation is not available for the days affected by planned line closures. There are a range of alternatives and additional compensation would significantly decrease the money available for improvements. Delay Repay will apply as normal.

Our normal arrangements with the Department for Transport (DfT) stay in place and compensation is not available for days affected by planned line closures. This is because customers are provided with a range of alternatives to complete their journeys. Delay Repay will apply as normal.

You can sign up for ticket alerts on your preferred travel dates, follow us on Twitter, or check the latest travel advice on the project website at www.eastcoastupgrade.co.uk.

We will also keep this web page up to date with the latest information.

A passenger awareness campaign is already underway advising customers to plan ahead and check before travelling. This campaign will increase as we get closer to the more disruptive parts of the engineering programme 

The biggest impact will be on customers travelling at busier times, so passengers will be advised to travel outside of these times where possible.   

More information on alternative arrangements will be available on lner.co.uk and at www.eastcoastupgrade.co.uk before each disruption period.

The East Coast Upgrade is a £1.2 billion investment in infrastructure being made by the UK Government. Decisions on fares are made separately. Fares will not be rising as a direct consequence of this vital upgrade work.