North East train passengers told not to travel to London this weekend as Kings Cross closes to services

Grand Central, which runs services between Sunderland, Hartlepool and the capital, is reminding passengers no trains will run to or from London King’s Cross as part of the East Coast Upgrade this weekend, Saturday, January 26, and Sunday, January 27.

LNER, which operates on the East Coast Mainline, has also issued the same warning.

The firms have also told passengers services will not run on the weekend of February 29 and March 1.

The upgrade is a multi-million pound investment to provide “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the infrastructure at King’s Cross station.”

Half a mile of track, signalling and overhead line equipment will be re-laid to improve capacity, reliability and flexibility.

It will create two new lines by reopening a disused tunnel near to King’s Cross, increasing the approach from four tracks to six.

Grand Central has said the following trains will not run:

Friday, January 24 – The 17.30 Sunderland to London King’s Cross service

Monday, January 27 – The 08.27 London King’s Cross to Sunderland service

Friday, February 28 – The 17.30 Sunderland to London King’s Cross service

Monday, March 2 – The 8:27 London King’s Cross to Sunderland service

LNER has said the work is needed to prepare for a rise in passengers using the London interchange, with the message being sent out by all firms using the station.

A spokesperson said: “This is an industry-wide decision between Network Rail, us and the other operators who use King’s Cross.

“With planned work meaning Kings Cross is closed, we as an industry simply aren’t able to provide a train service to alternative stations that matches normal capacity.

“Therefore, we strongly advise customers not to travel to London by train on the two Saturdays and Sundays.

“We recommend customers should travel Friday – ticket restrictions have been lifted from King’s Cross during late afternoon/evening.

“However, customers are strongly advised to reserve a seat as we expect services to busy.”

More information on the project and the impact on Grand Central services can click here or follow Grand Central on Twitter @ GC_Rail, Facebook or LinkedIn.