Travelling over February Half-Term? Plan ahead as Intercity services at the weekend will be very busy

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is advising customers to plan ahead and allow extra time when travelling during the February half-term period, as major engineering work will affect services between Saturday 14 and Sunday 22 February – including the weekend of 14–15 February.

Network Rail will be carrying out significant upgrades on the East Coast Main Line and on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly. While this investment will improve reliability and performance in the future, journeys during half-term will look different and some routes are expected to be significantly busier than usual.

London travel – services expected to be much busier

On Sunday 15, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22, February, there will be no LNER trains between London King’s Cross and Peterborough as part of digital signalling upgrades. As a result, EMR services to and from London St Pancras are expected to see more customers than usual on days where there are no trains to or from London King’s Cross.

Customers are advised that:

• A queuing system will be in place at London St Pancras for EMR services
• It may not be possible to board your intended service
• Customers should allow extra time at the station and consider travelling on a weekday if possible

EMR trains on routes between Sheffield, Nottingham and London St Pancras are likely to be extremely busy, with the potential for standing room only.

Customers who would normally travel with LNER, should follow alternative travel arrangements rather than travelling via EMR services.

LNER customers who wish to travel to or from London St Pancras should:

• Travel on Thameslink services to/from Bedford
• Change at Bedford for the dedicated rail replacement bus services to/from Peterborough
• Continue their journey from Peterborough on LNER services

Following this advice will help provide a smoother journey for everyone.

Manchester travel – no direct EMR trains

Between Saturday 14 and Sunday 22 February, there will be no EMR services north-west of Sheffield due to nearly £8 million of track, points and signalling upgrades on the approach to Manchester Piccadilly.

Customers can still travel to Manchester, but journeys will take longer and involve changes.

Monday to Friday

All EMR services will terminate at Sheffield.

Customers should change at Chesterfield for an hourly rail replacement bus to Manchester, timed to connect with train arrivals.

Alternatively, from Sheffield travel via TransPennine Express or Northern services towards Stockport and connect to a rail replacement bus.

There will also be an early morning and late evening service between Nottingham and Hazel Grove.

Saturdays

A similar service pattern will operate, with some timing adjustments.

Sundays

There will be no EMR services between Sheffield and Manchester.

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Experience Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We know half-term is an important time for many of our customers, and we want everyone to be able to travel with confidence.

“These upgrades are essential for improving the reliability of the railway, but they do mean services will look different for customers travelling, particularly over the weekends.

“Our London services are expected to be extremely busy on Sunday 15, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February, and customers should allow extra time, particularly at St Pancras where a queuing system will be in place. They should also consider taking their trip on a weekday if possible.

“We also strongly encourage customers to check their journey before travelling and to follow alternative travel advice where provided, so we can keep everyone moving as smoothly as possible during the half-term period.”