The new Great Northern and Thameslink timetable will take effect from Sunday, December 14, following a decade-long £4 billion investment in the East Coast Main Line.
The timetable has been updated in online journey planners and can be viewed in detail at www.ecmltimetable.info.
There will be extra peak time services between Cambridge, Letchworth Garden City and London King’s Cross, to create more space on trains for passengers.
There will also be a half-hourly Letchworth Garden City to London King’s Cross stopping peak service, and a second half-hourly service will operate between Letchworth Garden City and London King’s Cross in peak hours.
These will call at Hitchin, Stevenage, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Potters Bar, Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park.
They will also call at New Barnet in the morning to provide additional capacity, and one morning and one evening service will be extended to Royston to improve connectivity.
John Whitehurst, chief operating officer of Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “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 in June.”
All services between Cambridge and London King’s Cross will stop at the new Cambridge South station from June 2026.
Peak time services currently operating half-hourly from Cambridge to London King’s Cross will be replaced by two new groups, each running at half-hourly frequency to double capacity.
A semi-fast service will operate between Cambridge and London King’s Cross, calling at stations including Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Royston, Ashwell & Morden, Baldock, Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin and Welwyn North.
The 4.54pm service from London King’s Cross to Cambridge is expected to launch early next year. Until then, the 4.27pm train to Letchworth will be extended to Cambridge to maintain similar timing for stations north of Letchworth.
An 8.45am train from Letchworth to King’s Cross is expected to be introduced early next year. Until then customers will be able to use other trains to complete their journeys.
But while most services repeat at an even half-hourly frequency, there will not be a 6.27pm departure from London King’s Cross to Letchworth as it would conflict with long distance services running on the East Coast Main Line.
Weekday peak Great Northern services between Peterborough and London King’s Cross will remain at five trains in both the morning and evening peaks.
The current 8.05am service from Peterborough will be moved earlier to 5.43am.
On the Moorgate route, two existing morning trains from Gordon Hill will now start from Hertford North to increase capacity at Hertford North, Bayford, Cuffley and Crews Hill.
Some Thameslink services between Peterborough, Cambridge and London will see minor timing adjustments to improve connections.
Thameslink services between Cambridge and Brighton will stop at the new Cambridge South Station when it opens in June 2026.
