YORK train passengers should avoid travelling to London at the end of January and the start of February as more rail work is scheduled to start.

Network Rail is reminding passengers that there will be no trains in or out of King’s Cross station for two weekends, and four weekends will see a reduced service, as major work takes place as part of the £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade.

Passengers are urged not to travel to and from London on the East Coast Main Line on  January 25 and26, February 29 and March 1 as no trains will be able to call at King’s Cross station.

Over these weekends, Network Rail engineers will continue to relocate sections of the signalling system from King’s Cross to a state-of-the-art centre in York. This essential work can only be carried out safely when no trains are running.

A reduced service will be in place this Saturday and Sunday, January 18 and 19, February 8 and 9, and February 15 and 16.

During this time, work will take place to upgrade the power supply and overhead line equipment in and around King’s Cross station. Passengers are strongly advised to check on National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator before travelling on these weekends. They should also allow extra time for their journeys and reserve a seat where possible, as trains will be busy and may take longer than usual.

The East Coast Upgrade is the biggest investment into the line in a generation. Once complete, it will bring many benefits for the 20 million passengers who travel on the route each year, including faster journeys, more frequent services, a more reliable railway and an extra 10,000 seats per day.

Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “This work will bring improvements for the millions of passengers who use the East Coast Main Line each year, including improved connections, faster journeys, more choice and more seats.

“We apologise in advance for the disruption to services and the impact this will have on passengers whilst the essential work is carried out. We try to avoid disruption where possible, but unfortunately, it is inevitable on an upgrade of this scale."