Wakefield passengers warned to avoid travel to London while work is carried out

People in Wakefield are being warned that there will be no trains in or out of London while planned work is carried out.
People in Wakefield are being warned that there will be no trains in and out of London while planned work is carried out.People in Wakefield are being warned that there will be no trains in and out of London while planned work is carried out.
People in Wakefield are being warned that there will be no trains in and out of London while planned work is carried out.

Passengers are being urged not to travel to or from London King's Cross on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21.

Network Rail said that planned installations of overhead line equipment at the station meant the station would be closed to services, as work is carried out to bring a disused railway tunnel back into use.

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Strict social distancing rules will be in place while the work is carried out, they said.

Ed Akers, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: “The COVID-19 crisis continues to bring significant challenges for the railway, however we are working day and night to keep the railway running reliably and safely and to carry out essential work.

“On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June, we will continue with a vital project to upgrade the East Coast Main Line in a £1.2billion investment. We’ve changed our working methods on site to make sure we can follow Public Health Guidelines and carry on with this project which will bring significant benefits for passengers.

“We’d like to remind everyone that they should only be making journeys that are necessary, but if you do need to travel, please seek alternative travel arrangements. Bus replacement services will be in place, but these will take significantly longer than usual.”

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An amended timetable will be in place on LNER services between Wakefield and London over the weekend, with remaining services expected to be very busy, and partially replaced by bus services.

There will be no services between Leeds and Harrogate.

A spokesperson on behalf of train operators on the route, said: “We appreciate any engineering work can cause inconvenience, but this work is really important to make sure we have a railway which can meet the needs of communities and economies along the route for the long term. We thank our passengers in advance for their understanding and flexibility.

“The work will mean more reliable, more frequent and faster services with more seats, improving travel for our passengers. We’d urge passengers to continue to follow the Government advice to only travel when necessary, and to avoid use of public transport where possible at this time.

"If you have to travel please check how your journey will be affected by visiting EastCoastUpgrade.co.uk, National Rail Enquiries or check with your specific train operator.”

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