Passengers traveling from Durham and Darlington should prepare for disruptions due to engineering work affecting services to London
Durham: If you’re planning to travel from Durham or Darlington, heads up! There’s some engineering work coming up that’s going to mess with train services to London.
So, here’s the scoop: the East Coast Main Line will be affected, especially on the weekends of January 25-26 and February 1-2. London King’s Cross will be closed, and they’re doing some serious upgrades to the tracks and overhead lines.
What does this mean for you? Well, there won’t be any direct trains to King’s Cross on those weekends. LNER will run a limited service to Peterborough, and then you’ll need to hop on a coach to Bedford to catch Thameslink services into London St Pancras.
Grand Central is also cutting back, with fewer trains from Sunderland to Peterborough, but they’ll have coach connections to King’s Cross. Hull Trains will run two trains a day to St Pancras instead of King’s Cross, and Lumo will have a non-stop coach service between King’s Cross and Peterborough.
It’s going to be busy, especially on the EMR services to St Pancras, so it’s best to plan ahead. Thameslink services will be your go-to for getting to Peterborough, but keep in mind there won’t be any Thameslink or Great Northern trains running between London and Peterborough during this time.
Simon Pumphrey from Network Rail mentioned that this work is more than just routine maintenance. They’re trying to get a lot done in one go to avoid more frequent disruptions later on. He appreciates everyone’s patience while they make these improvements.
So, if you’re traveling, make sure to check the latest updates on the train companies’ websites or social media. They’ll have all the info you need to make your journey smoother.
And just a heads up, the engineering work includes some serious upgrades, like renewing tracks and improving drainage. It’s all about making the railway more reliable for everyone.
