Network Rail has reminded East Coast Main Line passengers that the first of three weekends of essential upgrade works begins today, Saturday, 14 September.

Track replacement works are taking place at a number of locations between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed, while drainage works will be carried out near Drem in East Lothian.

As a result of this engineering work, train services between Edinburgh and Newcastle will be severely disrupted.

This will affect services run by several operators, namely, LNER, Lumo, Northern and TransPennine Express.

Some LNER services will continue to operate between Newcastle and Edinburgh by using a diversionary route, while rail replacement buses will also be provided between the two cities.

The same line will also be closed each Saturday and Sunday until Monday, 30 September.

These line closures follow on from disruption in August to services at the southern end of the East Coast Main Line, when new digital signalling was being tested, and line closures in Yorkshire in March of this year.

Customers should also note that the Borders Railway will see closures between Edinburgh and Gorebridge on Sunday, 22 September and Sunday, 29 September.

Passengers have been reminded to check how their journey will be affected by using the National Rail journey planner.

Renewing the track on the East Coast Main Line will improve reliability and performance on this busy cross-border route, delivering smoother journeys for passengers.

We know there’s never a good time to close a railway and we’re grateful to passengers and our neighbours for their patience.

Our engineers will work around the clock over these three weekends to complete these projects quickly, with as little disruption as possible.

Ross Moran, route director, Network Rail Scotland

Our teams will be working hard to make sure customers reach their destination as quickly as possible while these important upgrades are carried out.

The latest travel information can be found on our websites and our social media channels. We would encourage all customers to check their journey before they travel.

A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, ScotRail, Lumo, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express