Media centre

Monday 4 May 2020

Essential Network Rail work to railway between Finsbury Park and Moorgate means changes for Great Northern services this weekend

Region & Route:

Eastern

Network Rail and Great Northern are urging passengers to continue following Government advice and only travel if they need to over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend.

Great Northern customers who do need to travel should plan ahead and check before travelling as essential work by Network Rail means that no train services can run between Finsbury Park and Moorgate.

On Saturday, 9 and Sunday, 10 May, essential tunnel maintenance work will take place. This work will help to create a more reliable and resilient railway, improving journeys for passengers. A reliable railway is particularly important during the Covid-19 crisis as it means that those who must travel can get to where they need to be on time. Work will also take place to prepare for the installation of new signalling equipment. All of this work will be done in line with Public Health England guidance.

To allow this work to take place safely, the line will be closed between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, with no trains running between these stations. Trains will be diverted to run to/from London King’s Cross and passengers can use their tickets on London Underground services to complete their journey. This will likely take longer than usual, so those who must travel are urged to leave additional time for their journey.

Passengers can see how they will be affected via National Rail Enquiries or by visiting www.greatnorthernrail.com

Paul Rutter, Route Managing Director for Network Rail’s East Coast Route, said: “The work taking place over the Early May Bank Holiday is absolutely essential to keep the railway running reliably, which is vital during the Covid-19 crisis and will improve all passenger journeys in the future.

“We urge those who must travel on these dates to check their journey ahead of time and allow additional travel time.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience which this work causes and would like to thank anyone impacted by this for their patience and understanding.”

Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said: “We also thank people who need to travel this weekend for their patience, and while we are still running services in and out of King’s Cross, we encourage passengers to check journey planners before they set off.

“Network Rail’s essential maintenance of the tunnels will make services in and out of Moorgate more reliable for our passengers, while the work we are doing to freshen up the interiors of stations on the route will further improve their travelling experience.”

ENDS