Thursday 20 Jan 2022
Rail upgrades to make major improvements for passengers in Northallerton
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- | Eastern: East Coast
- A package of rail upgrades will make Northallerton station more accessible and bring more reliable journeys for passengers
- Limited services on 29/30 January, with no trains calling at the station on 5/6 February, and 12/13 February as Network Rail upgrades track between York and Newcastle
- Major work will also take place on a project to install lifts, meaning temporary changes to access at the station
- Passengers urged to plan ahead via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator
Passengers at Northallerton station will soon benefit from a package of upgrades to improve accessibility and bring more reliable journeys.
An Access for All scheme, funded by Department for Transport, will see Network Rail install lifts on both platforms, making it easier for passengers with limited mobility, pushchairs, luggage or bicycles to move between the station’s two platforms.
Key work on this scheme will take place on 5/6 February, when the ramp in the subway is replaced by stairs. The subway will be closed whilst the work takes place, so passengers should use the the relevant drop off point for their platform.
Work to install lifts at the station will be completed by 31 March. This means that between 7 February and 31 March, there will be no step-free access between platforms. Again, passengers are urged to use the drop-off point for the platform which their train calls at.
To minimise disruption to passengers, a section of this work is being delivered while there are no trains calling at Northallerton station. On 29/30 January, 5/6 February and 12/13 February, Network Rail will replace over three kilometres of track between York and Newcastle – refreshing the rails, sleepers and supporting stones – to boost reliability.
Limited services and rail replacement buses will keep passengers moving between York and Newcastle during this time. Passengers travelling to or from Northallerton station are being asked to plan their journey in advance using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner and to arrive at Platform 1 for rail replacement buses.
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.”
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.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Travel information
Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 January 2022
- CrossCountry – buses replace trains between York and Newcastle, calling at Darlington and Durham.
- TransPennine Express – there will be no trains between York and Newcastle.
- LNER - one train will run per hour each way between Newcastle and York via a diversionary route with journey times extended by approximately one hour. Replacement coaches will run between York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. Trains from Lincoln will run to/from Newark and trains to/from Harrogate will run to/from Leeds.
- Lumo - services will not be running between Newcastle and London however, amended services will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh to minimise disruption. During these planned track upgrades, we encourage all customers to plan their journeys ahead of time and check our website for updated service times.
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 February 2022
- CrossCountry – buses replace trains between York and Newcastle, calling at Darlington and Durham.
- Grand Central – an amended service will run between London King’s Cross and Sunderland. No Grand Central trains will call at Northallerton. Replacement buses will run between Northallerton and York, connecting with train services.
- LNER – one train will run per hour each way between Newcastle and York via a diversionary route with journey times extended by approximately one hour. Replacement coaches will run between York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. Trains from Lincoln will run to/from Newark and trains to/from Harrogate will run to/from Leeds.
- Northern – changes to individual journeys, with buses replacing trains for stations between Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
- TransPennine Express – there will be no trains between York and Newcastle. Services between Manchester stations and Redcar Central will not call at Northallerton. Replacement buses will run between Newcastle and York.
- Lumo - services will not be running between Newcastle and London however, amended services will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh to minimise disruption. During these planned track upgrades, we encourage all customers to plan their journeys ahead of time and check our website for updated service times.
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 February 2022
- CrossCountry – buses replace trains between York and Newcastle, calling at Darlington and Durham.
- Grand Central – an amended service will run between London King’s Cross and Sunderland. No Grand Central trains will call at Northallerton. Replacement buses will run between Northallerton and York, connecting with train services.
- LNER – one train will run per hour each way between Newcastle and York via a diversionary route with journey times extended by approximately one hour. Replacement coaches will run between York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. Trains from Lincoln will run to/from Newark and trains to/from Harrogate will run to/from Leeds.
- TransPennine Express – there will be no trains between York and Newcastle. Services between Manchester stations and Redcar Central will not call at Northallerton.
- Lumo - services will not be running between Newcastle and London however, amended services will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh to minimise disruption. During these planned track upgrades, we encourage all customers to plan their journeys ahead of time and check our website for updated service times.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Louise Leighton
Media Relations Manager
Network Rail
07858 375508
louise.leighton2@networkrail.co.uk
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