LNER has issued its top travel tips to help keep customers smoothly and comfortably on the move to and from London during planned engineering work at the end of November.
On Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026, vital railway upgrades are taking place on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross and Peterborough.
The work forms part of the £1.4bn East Coast Digital Programme. The project will see traditional, line-side signals replaced with digital signalling inside a driver’s cab, leading to more reliable journeys. It means that, on these dates, no trains can run between those stations.
However, there are still options for customers travelling from the East Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East, and Scotland to get to London.
During both days, LNER services will start and terminate at Peterborough. From there, modern, accessible rail replacement coaches will connect customers to Bedford where Thameslink trains will operate to London St Pancras.
On Saturday 28 November, there will also be two return train services from Newcastle to Bedford*, where customers can connect onto Thameslink services to London. These trains provide customers with a more direct journey, allowing them to complete their full journey by train, and follows the successful operation of similar services earlier in the year.
For the most comfortable journeys, customers are advised to:
- Follow LNER travel advice: Those travelling are strongly encouraged to use rail replacement services between Peterborough and Bedford, or the two return LNER train services between the North East, Yorkshire and Bedford on Saturday.
- Book in advance: LNER Journey Planners are showing journey options during the engineering work.
- Keep up to date with the latest: Ahead of travelling, the latest information can be found at lner.co.uk/travel-information/travel-updates/
Colette Casey, Customer Experience Director at LNER, said: “This engineering work is vital in delivering more reliable services for our customers in the future, but we appreciate the impact it has on those travelling in the here and now.
“There are still options to help those wanting to travel to and from London to complete their journeys over this weekend, both with our trains to and from Bedford on Saturday, and rail replacement services connecting Peterborough and Bedford throughout the weekend.
“Journeys to and from London will take longer than usual, but we will have extra colleagues on hand to provide help and support as required. We want to thank our customers, in advance, for their patience and understanding.”
For the easiest booking process, customers are encouraged to book tickets for the diverted trains directly through the LNER website and app. Customers should search for journeys to or from London St Pancras International or London Terminals, adding a filter to ‘Change at: Bedford’.
Some journey results may suggest trains with changes at Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Cambridge. These are expected to be extremely busy, and we advise against travelling on these routes where possible as you may not be able to get a seat or board certain trains.
For more information, customers should visit www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/changes-to-train-times/
To learn more about what the East Coast Digital Programme is, visit: https://eastcoastdigitalprogramme.co.uk/home
Source: LNER