RAIL passengers in York are being asked not to travel to and from the capital this weekend.

Network Rail and train operators are reminding passengers that no train services on the East Coast Mainline will be running into or out of London King's Cross station due to on-going works.

As previously reported, over the weekend, Network Rail engineers will test new signalling equipment at Stevenage station as part of work to construct a new platform there, which will allow more train services to run. The testing of the signalling system can only be done safely when no trains are running, so the line between Peterborough and London King's Cross will be closed.

It is part of a £1.2billion project which will allow for faster, more frequent services, providing passengers with 10,000 extra seats on long distance services per day. It will also improve the reliability of services. 

Passengers are urged not to travel to or from London King’s Cross station on either Saturday, 29 February or Sunday, 1 March.  Passengers are advised to travel on either Friday, 28 February or Monday, 2 March, however those travelling on these days should book in advance and reserve a seat where possible, as these services are expected to be exceptionally busy.

Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We know that there have been numerous changes to services to and from London this year and we apologise for any inconvenience which this has caused.

“We understand that there is never a good time to carry out upgrade work on this scale. The work taking place on Saturday and Sunday is absolutely vital to move the scheme forward and we would urge passengers not to travel to and from London on the affected routes this weekend.

“This work will now not impact on services until June and I would like to thank passengers for their continued patience whilst we work on the upgrade, which will bring huge benefits to passengers when completed."

If passengers absolutely must travel over the weekend, they should allow significantly more time for their journey, as they will need to use the limited bus replacement services or alternative routes, which will be very busy. 

Over the past eight weeks, there have been numerous changes to services in and out of London on the East Coast Main Line to allow work on this vital project to continue. Good progress has been made and this project will now not impact on passengers again until 20/21 June. Passengers can find out more at eastcoastupgrade.co.uk.

A spokesperson for train operators along the route, said: “This weekend, significant work by Network Rail will mean widespread changes to services on the East Coast Main Line into London King’s Cross.

“We urge passengers to follow the travel advice issued and not to travel to or from London this weekend on these routes. Passengers should travel on alternative dates.

“We would like to thank all passengers for their patience and we look forward to them reaping the rewards when this project completes."