Due to planned upgrades, "extremely limited" bus services are set to replace Hertfordshire trains over two coming weekends.

The work on the East Coast Main Line will take place on Saturday and Sunday (January 6 and 7), as well as next Saturday and next Sunday (January 13 and 14).

Passengers have been advised to check their journeys before starting out.

On the two weekends, rail replacement bus services will run for passengers travelling between:

  • Peterborough and Bedford (for trains to London St Pancras)
  • Peterborough and Hitchin (calling at all stations)
  • Letchworth Garden City and Hitchin
  • Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage calling at Hitchin
  • St Albans and Hitchin calling at Welwyn Garden City, Welwyn North, Knebworth and Stevenage
  • Alexandra Palace and Welwyn Garden City calling all stations except Hadley Wood, with an additional stop at Cockfosters to connect with London Underground Piccadilly Line trains
  • Cockfosters and Potters Bar calling at Hadley Wood
  • Alexandra Palace and Stevenage via Hertford North

To compensate for the disruption, ticket acceptance will be in place on Thameslink services between Bedford and London St Pancras via Luton Airport Parkway, and Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge.

Great Northern services will run between Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge, Ely and King’s Lynn.

During the work, teams will be carrying out improvements that will see the introduction of digital signalling, to be displayed inside drivers’ cabs.

A separate project will be focusing on improving mobile phone signal inside the tunnels at the mouth of King’s Cross station.

Ricky Barsby, head of access and integration for the East Coast Digital Programme, said: "Work is progressing well on this pioneering project and we continue to prepare the way for changing the way train services operate on the East Coast Main Line.

“This work has been scheduled years in advance and while we never want to disrupt passengers’ journeys, these upgrades are vital to delivering a more resilient, more reliable and greener railway for the future.

“We want to thank passengers for their patience and understanding and encourage them to check their journey before travelling.”

Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Govia Thameslink Railway, added: "We are sorry that some of our customers travelling between London and Peterborough or King’s Lynn will have more difficult journeys during the first two weekends in January.   

“We expect the rail replacement bus services over these weekends to be busy and customers may have to queue.

"We’re therefore encouraging our customers to leave extra time to complete their journeys – as well as checking trains before setting out for the station.

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“As ever, we’d like to thank our customers for their patience while this vital work is carried out to make our rail network more reliable and resilient.”

Further work on the East Coast Digital Programme will take place between Saturday, February 17, and Tuesday, February 20.

Buses will once again replace trains during the period of the works.

Journeys can be checked by using the National Rail Journey Planner at: www.nationalrail.co.uk