Reminder: Passengers advised of major upgrade work starting this weekend

Tuesday 3 Mar 2026

Reminder: Passengers advised of major upgrade work starting this weekend

Region & Route:: Eastern; | Eastern: East Coast

Passengers are reminded that a programme of major improvement work is taking place on the East Coast Main Line from this weekend (Saturday 7 March).

A range of railway upgrades are planned for various sites between York and Newcastle for four weekends – 7-8, 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29 March.

There will also be digital signalling testing on the southern part of the line in Hertfordshire on Sunday 15 March, meaning services between Peterborough and London King’s Cross are also affected.

For most passengers travelling through the north-east during the upgrades, trains will still be running, with an hourly service using a diversionary route to connect customers between York, Northallerton and Newcastle, via Sunderland.

Rail replacement services will connect customers travelling to or from Darlington and Durham with trains at either York or Newcastle. Passengers are advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys.

The work in the north-east includes the renewal of more than 3.8km of track, as well as new switches and crossings (also called points – the sections of track allowing trains to switch between lines) at three locations. Further progress will also be made on the £140 million Darlington station upgrade, which will also see overhead line equipment installed as the project nears completion.

The improvements taking place include:

Cowton, between Northallerton and Darlington: 560 metres of new track and renewal of switches and crossings
Croft, south of Darlington: renewal of switches and crossings
Aycliffe, north of Darlington: 1.3km of rail renewal and removal of disused material
Northallerton: 485 metres of new track and renewal of switches and crossings
Low Fell, south of Newcastle: 1.6km of track renewal
installation of overhead line equipment and points as part of the Darlington station upgrade.

On Sunday 15 March, there will also be further testing of new equipment in Hertfordshire between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin, under the £1.4 billion East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).

The landmark ECDP scheme is set to introduce digitally signalled passenger trains on a section of main line between Welwyn and Hitchin from later this year, meaning more reliable, greener, and even safer journeys. The rigorous testing process checks the interaction between lineside equipment, onboard equipment and signalling control at York Rail Operating Centre.

Services will start and terminate at Peterborough on this day, with frequent coaches connecting passengers to Bedford and Thameslink services to and from the capital.

Gunnar Lindahl, joint operations director for Network Rail and LNER, said:

“We’re carrying out a significant package of upgrades on the East Coast Main Line to keep trains running safely and reliably for the millions of passengers who depend on the route. The improvements, including renewing track and switches and crossings as well as progress with the Darlington station upgrade and East Coast Digital Programme, are important steps towards an even more modern, greener, safer and more reliable railway.

“We appreciate this work does mean changes to weekend services, and we’re grateful to passengers for their patience while we complete these upgrades.”

Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at Rail Delivery Group, said:

“As vital improvement works take place on the East Coast Main Line ahead of the Easter holiday, we’re advising passengers travelling between York and Newcastle at the weekend to plan ahead and allow extra time for travel, with the latest journey information available on the National Rail website. Visual Disruption Map videos, offering a guide to planned service changes and alternative travel options, will also be available online and at stations.

“Our railway colleagues will be working hard to keep people moving, and we kindly ask everyone to treat them with kindness and respect as they help deliver a safe and reliable service.”

Passengers using rail replacement services are reminded to only bring luggage they can carry comfortably and be mindful of transfer times between train and bus/coach.

Notes to Editors

7-8 March

CrossCountry: Rail replacement road transport will operate between Leeds, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. Alternative rail services will run between Leeds and York.

Grand Central: Amended and reduced service running between York and London King’s Cross.

LNER: A revised service will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh and London King’s Cross and York. An hourly service will run via a diversionary route around the Durham Coast, connecting customers across the LNER route. Rail replacement services will be in operation for customers travelling to or from Darlington and Durham. Services will call at Northallerton on Saturday but will not call at Northallerton on Sunday.

Lumo: An amended and reduced service will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street.

Northern: Trains will start/terminate at Eaglescliffe. Buses will be provided between Eaglescliffe and Bishop Auckland and between Darlington and Newcastle via Durham and Chester-le-Street.

TransPennine Express:

On Saturday: Rail replacement buses will operate between York and Newcastle. Trains to / from Redcar Central will run as normal.
On Sunday: Rail replacement buses will operate between Newcastle and York/Northallerton. Trains to/from Redcar Central will not call at Northallerton.

14-15 March

CrossCountry: Buses replace trains between York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

LNER:

An hourly service will operate between Newcastle and York, via Sunderland, keeping customers connected. For Durham and Darlington, rail replacement buses will operate to / from Newcastle and York / Northallerton. On Sunday, no trains will call at Northallerton.
On Sunday, LNER will also be operating an amended service starting and terminating at Peterborough. Rail replacement coaches will run between Peterborough and Bedford, where passengers can join Thameslink or EMR services to London St Pancras.

Lumo: An amended and reduced service will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street only.

Northern: Buses will replace trains between Darlington and Saltburn.

TransPennine Express: Rail replacement buses will operate between York and Newcastle, and between Middlesbrough and Redcar Central.

An amended timetable will run between:

Liverpool Lime Street and York
Manchester Airport and York
York and Middlesbrough (on Sunday services will be unable to call at Northallerton)
Wakefield Kirkgate and York

Thameslink and Great Northern: All day on Sunday, no trains will run between:  

Potters Bar and Letchworth Garden City
Potters Bar and Peterborough until 12:00
Potters Bar and St Neots from 12:00
Hertford North and Stevenage

A limited rail replacement bus service will run between:

Hitchin and Letchworth Garden City
Bedford and Peterborough via St Neots until 12:00
Bedford and St Neots from 12:00
Hitchin and Peterborough via St Neots until 12:00
Hitchin and St Neots from 12:00
Stevenage and Luton Airport Parkway via Hitchin
St Albans City and Stevenage via Hatfield
Hertford North and Stevenage
Potters Bar and Hitchin

An amended train service will run between:   

London King’s Cross/Moorgate and Potters Bar
London King’s Cross/Moorgate and Hertford North
Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge/Ely/King’s Lynn
St Neots and Peterborough from 12:00
Finsbury Park and Brighton

East Midlands Railway: Services to/from London St Pancras are expected to see more customers than usual on days where there are no trains to or from London Kings Cross. Trains to/from London St Pancras are likely to be extremely busy, with the potential for standing room only. A queuing system will be in place at London St Pancras for EMR services and it may not be possible to board your intended service, so please allow extra time at the station. Passengers who would normally travel with LNER are strongly advised you follow LNER's alternative travel advice rather than travelling on EMR services.

21-22 March

CrossCountry: Buses replace trains between York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

Grand Central: No trains will call at Northallerton. Buses will replace trains between Northallerton and Thirsk.

On Saturday, the 06:44 and 10:32 Sunderland to London King’s Cross services and the 15:00 and 19:25 London King’s Cross to Sunderland services will not run. The 08:32 Sunderland to London King’s Cross will start from York. The 17:00 London Kings Cross to Sunderland will terminate at York.
On Sunday, the 10:30 and 12:30 Sunderland to London King’s Cross and the 15:00 and 17:00 London King’s Cross to Sunderland will not run. The 08:37 Sunderland to London King’s Cross will start at York. The 19:00 London King’s Cross to Sunderland will terminate at York.

Lumo: An amended and reduced service will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street only.

Northern: Rail replacement buses will be run between Middlesbrough and Saltburn, and between Darlington and Newcastle calling at Durham and Chester-le-Street.

TransPennine Express: Rail replacement buses will operate between York and Newcastle, and between Middlesbrough and Redcar Central. An amended timetable will operate between York and Middlesbrough, and between Manchester Airport and York.

28-29 March

CrossCountry: Rail replacement buses will operate between York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

Grand Central: No trains will call at Northallerton.

On Saturday, the 06:44 and 10:32 Sunderland to London King’s Cross, and 15:00 and 19:25 London King’s Cross to Sunderland will not run. The 08:32 Sunderland to London Kings Cross will start from York at 10:11. The 17:00 London Kings Cross to Sunderland will terminate at York.
On Sunday, the 10:30 and 12:30 Sunderland to London King’s Cross, and the 15:00 and 17:00 London King’s Cross to Sunderland services will not run. The 08:37 Sunderland to London King’s Cross will start at York at 10:10. The 19:00 London King’s Cross to Sunderland will terminate at York.

Lumo: An amended and reduced service will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street only.

Northern: On Saturday and Sunday, buses replace trains between Darlington and Newcastle, calling at Durham and Chester-le-Street. On Sunday, buses will operate between Middlesbrough and Saltburn.

TransPennine Express: Rail replacement buses will operate between York and Newcastle.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Gareth Dennison
Media relations manager, Eastern region
Network Rail
07561 874858
gareth.dennison@networkrail.co.uk

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