Upgrades going ahead between York and Newcastle

Network Rail has said that upgrades to the track between York and Newcastle are going ahead in the coming weeks.

As a result, there will be limited services and rail replacement buses on 29/30 January, 5/6 February, and 12/13 February 2022.

Engineers are set to replace more than three kilometres of track, refreshing rails, sleepers and ballast in the process to help trains run more reliably, providing on-time journeys with fewer delays.

There will also be a refurbishment of switches and crossings in the area to cut the need for service changes.

Limited services and rail replacement buses will keep passengers moving between York and Newcastle through the three weekends of work, as sports fans travel to watch the Six Nations game at Murrayfield on 5 February and Newcastle United play against Aston Villa at St James’ Park on 13 February.

Network Rail said people travelling with CrossCountry, Grand Central, LNER, Lumo, Northern or TransPennine Express, should plan their journey in advance using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner.

Neil Henry, east coast operations director for Network Rail, said: “We’re doing this work across a few weekends to keep the railway open for passengers, including key workers, through the week – and we’re packing in additional work to minimise future disruption. When complete, this vital section of the East Coast Main Line will see fewer delays, helping to provide better journeys along the whole route.”

LNER will operate services between York and Newcastle via a diversionary route. This will see a smaller number of services with extended journey times. Rail replacement coaches will run between York and Newcastle to provide links for passengers travelling to and from Durham, Darlington and Chester-le Street in all three weekends and to and from Northallerton in the second and third weekend.

A spokesperson for train operators on the East Coast Main Line, said: “Passengers planning to travel over these three weekends should plan their journey in advance through their train operator’s website or via National Rail Enquiries. The improved track will allow us to run trains more reliably, helping passengers get to where they need to be, on time.”

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