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Friday 10 Nov 2023

Network Rail expects return to normal service on Tuesday after Aycliffe landslip

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Coast

Network Rail expects rail services on the East Coast Main Line to return to normal from Tuesday after a landslip has caused disruption near Darlington.

Engineers are continuing to fix the landslip in Aycliffe, north of Darlington station, and have started to install piles into the embankment to stabilise and strengthen the land the railway sits on.

The line from Darlington towards Newcastle is currently closed, but the line from Newcastle to Darlington remains open with LNER and CrossCountry running a limited train service safely in both directions. Due to the complexities of the work, Network Rail expects trains will be able to run on both lines from Tuesday.

Work will be carried out overnight which means that there is no further planned disruption to train services. The piling work will allow for trains to safely return to normal.

The work is affecting LNER, CrossCountry, Lumo, TransPennine Express and Northern services. Network Rail is continuing to encourage passengers to check their journey before travelling via the National Rail Enquiries website or through their train operator online or on social media to get the most up-to-date timetable and ticket acceptance information.

Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “Our engineers are working flat out to restore train services back to normality as quickly and as safely as possible on the East Coast Main Line near Darlington.

“While a limited service is continuing to operate, I know this work is disruptive and I am sorry for the inconvenience this is causing to passengers. I want to thank them for their patience and understanding.”

A spokesperson on behalf of affected train operators said: “Our colleagues are working really hard to keep trains moving and to get passengers to their destination with the least amount of disruption.

“We’re working closely with Network Rail to be able to get train services back to running normally. Please continue to check your journey before travelling as journey times may be extended and subject to delays.”