Friday 9 Oct 2026
Changes to journeys as Network Rail delivers East Coast Main Line improvements
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- | Eastern: East Coast
Improvement work on the East Coast Main Line will mean changes to journeys on Sunday 18 October.
Trains will be diverted between Doncaster and Peterborough, with rail replacement coaches serving intermediate stations*, as Network Rail carries out engineering work at several sites.
Almost 670 metres of rail will be replaced near Newark, helping to deliver smoother, more reliable journeys and reducing the need for future maintenance.
Nearly 50 metres of drainage will be renewed at Grantham station, helping to prevent water-related issues and improve the resilience of the railway during periods of heavy rainfall.
Repairs will be carried out to brickwork at Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham, maintaining the structural integrity of this historical railway asset and supporting the safe operation of services.
Electrical components between Grantham and Bullpit Lane level crossing, Balderton will be renewed and replaced, improving the reliability of infrastructure that supports train operations and helping to reduce the risk of delays.
John Grainger, joint head of performance, LNER & Network Rail East Coast, said:
“We’re carrying out a series of upgrades along the East Coast Main Line to help deliver a more reliable railway for passengers and freight operators.
“These improvements will help reduce the risk of infrastructure faults, improve resilience during severe weather and support smoother, more reliable journeys.
“We’re grateful to passengers for their patience and understanding while we carry out this essential work.“
A spokesperson for the train operators said:
“These improvements are an important investment in the East Coast Main Line. While the work is taking place, some services will be amended and journey times may be longer than usual. We encourage customers to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys.
“We’d like to thank passengers for their understanding while these upgrades are carried out, helping to improve the reliability and resilience of the railway for years to come.”
Check details of all parts of your journey with your train operator or National Rail before travelling.
Notes to Editors
*The engineering work will mean changes to services as follows:
Grand Central:
- The 08.00 Bradford Interchange to London King’s Cross will divert via Wakefield Westgate. It will not call at Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield or Wakefield Kirkgate. A rail replacement service will operate between Halifax and Wakefield Westgate.
- The 12.00 London King’s Cross to Bradford Interchange and the 15.43 Bradford Interchange to London King’s Cross will not run.
- The 10.00 and 13.00 London King’s Cross to Sunderland and the 14.30 and 17.30 Sunderland to London King’s Cross services will not run.
- All other services will divert via Lincoln with increased journey times.
Hull Trains:
- A reduced and amended timetable will be in place, with trains diverting via Lincoln. No services will call at Beverley, Cottingham, Retford or Grantham.
LNER:
- An hourly service will run each way between Scotland and London King’s Cross, and one service every two hours each way between Leeds and London King’s Cross. These services will use a diversionary route between Peterborough and Doncaster, extending journey times by around 60 minutes.
- Rail replacement services will connect customers from Retford, Newark Northgate, and Grantham with Doncaster and Peterborough. From there, customers can connect onto rail services to other destinations.
- There will be no services to or from Lincoln. Rail replacement coaches will operate in both directions between Peterborough, Grantham and Lincoln.
- There will be no LNER services to or from Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Hull or Skipton.
Lumo:
- A reduced and amended service will run between Glasgow Queen Street/Edinburgh and Newcastle only.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Gareth Dennison
Media relations manager, Eastern region
Network Rail
07561 874858
gareth.dennison@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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