Great Northern and Thameslink have announced that major improvements are to be made to services on the East Coast Main Line on Sunday, 14th December, when a new timetable is introduced.

The improvements are possible after the completion of a decade-long £4bn series of upgrades to the route.

Online journey planners and National Rail Enquiries will have details of the new timetable and services from Friday, 19th September; detailed station-by-station timetable changes and changes to other operators’ services are already available at www.ecmltimetable.info.

Summary of timetable changes:

• King’s Lynn/Ely to London King’s Cross services will have departure times changed to support faster journey times by up to seven minutes, and all trains will stop at the new Cambridge South station when it opens in early 2026.
• Cambridge/Letchworth to London King’s Cross services will have two new peak-hour services; all trains will stop at the new Cambridge South station when it opens in early 2026.
• Cambridge to King’s Cross services will have a half-hourly semi-fast peak hours service between Cambridge and Welwyn North, stopping at Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Royston, Ashwell & Morden, Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin and Welwyn North. More trains will stop at Knebworth by London King’s Cross to Cambridge, afternoon peak services and by Peterborough to Horsham, morning peak services. A second half-hourly peak hours service will operate between Letchworth Garden City and London King’s Cross, calling at Hitchin, Stevenage, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Potters Bar, Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park, and at New Barnet in the morning, with one morning and one evening service extended to Royston.
• The current 08:05 service from Peterborough to London King’s Cross will depart from Peterborough at 05:43.

The December timetable change will also see 220 more trains each week in Southeastern’s new timetable, whilst London North Eastern Railway is making its biggest timetable change in a decade.

“For our customers travelling to and from stations between London, Hertford North, Cambridge and King’s Lynn, this timetable will mean more passenger space at peak times where it is needed most, quicker trips to and from London from key destinations and more evenly spaced departure times so customers don’t need to wait as long for a train. The timetable will also ensure we are ready for new services to be introduced at Cambridge South station when it opens early next year.”

Govia Thameslink Railway Chief Operating Officer John Whitehurst