The 23rd of June 2018 was the last full day of the Virgin East Coast franchise operated by private companies Virgin and Stagecoach branded as Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) .

On Sunday the 24th June 2018 the first London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service departed at 7:42.  This franchise has been temporarily renationalised and will be run by the Department for Transport as LNER.

Platform 5 at Peterborough station has kept its platform number. It now has a lift shared with platform 4. It has an extra bit of platform at the northern end. Both ends of the platform have lost there platform ramps and now have a fence with a gate.

Platform 5 can be used by both up and down Norwich Cambridge and Birmingham Nottingham and Liverpool trains. Most of these now use the new platforms 6 and 7. Freight and light engines also use platforms 5 both ways.

Most Virgin East Coast down trains use platform four.

Platform 5 is on the outer western edge of a island platform with on the eastern edge Platform 4. The buildings on this island platform are of the style of architecture prevalent in the 1960's and 1970's bland and and insipid. But clean and just about fit for there use.

Platforms 5 and 4 are linked to the main station by a long foot bridge over the two fast lines. This footbridge was made longer when the new lines went in. There is at long last a lift that opened in 2014 shared with platform 4 .

 

There is also the old Post office bridge that was out of bounds in BR days, but was then used for many years for push chairs and the yellow mobility truck that carried wheelchairs and old people over the tracks who could not use the stairs. Peterborough station had no lifts, right to up till 2014! The bridge is still in use. This old Post office bridge now can be used by any passengers at the north end of the platforms