East Midlands Railway (EMR) is warning passengers of extremely busy services this weekend as major engineering work affects the East Coast Main Line and the approach to Manchester Piccadilly. While these upgrades will improve reliability in the long term, travel this weekend will be disrupted.

On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February, East Midlands Railway services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be exceptionally busy. With no LNER trains running between London King’s Cross and Peterborough, East Midlands Railway can only provide around 25% of the usual combined capacity. Passengers should allow extra time, expect queues, and may face standing-room-only trains.

Those who haven’t yet booked are advised to travel on Friday 20 or Monday 23 February, and LNER customers should follow alternative arrangements rather than using East Midlands Railway services.

For Manchester travel, no East Midlands Railway services will run north-west of Sheffield due to £8 million of track, signalling, and points upgrades at Manchester Picadilly. Passengers can still reach Manchester via Chesterfield using rail replacement buses, or via Sheffield and TransPennine Express/Northern connections.

East Midlands Railway advises checking timetables, preparing for longer journeys, and planning ahead of time to make travel smoother while these critical upgrades are completed.

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

“Our London services are expected to be extremely busy this weekend 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 Friday or Monday 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 this weekend.”

Philippa Cresswell, Customer Experience Director at East Midlands Railway.