TRAIN company LNER has announced that its services to and from Scotland and Newcastle will be diverted along the Durham coast for six consecutive weekends.
Starting on 8 February, the LNER route will be undergoing station improvements at Darlington, track renewals, and bridge works between Northallerton and Newcastle.
This also means that there will be no trains to or from Darlington or Durham over this period, though a rail replacement coach will be available.
Routes in both directions from London King’s Cross and Newcastle/Scotland will be on a reduced service, and journey times will be extended by approximately 80 minutes.
The engineering work is set to take place every weekend from 8 February till 16 March.
Services at London King’s Cross will depart up to 20 minutes earlier than usual and trains are set to take diversionary routes, travelling along the Durham coast before reaching Newcastle.
It’s not all bad news however, as some are taking up the opportunity to revel in the views that the Durham Coast has to offer.
One social media user posted about the diversion, saying: “LNER are diverting in February along the Durham coastline between Newcastle and York on three weekends which has stunning views, I’ll be booking my tickets at some point.
“It’s a diversion route that I’ve not done but certainly looking forward to.”
The Durham Coast is renowned for its beaches, rugged cliffs, and rare wildlife, and is predominately serviced by Northern trains.
LNER passengers travelling on the route towards Edinburgh are already lucky enough to experience views of the coastline at Berwick-upon-Tweed but will be greeted with a change of scenery if travelling the next six weekends.
These changes come as LNER celebrates the 200th anniversary of the modern railway by introducing a new timetable with 37 additional services each weekday.
Though journey times are increasing in the next six weeks, the company aims to lower them even more in the New Year, particularly between Edinburgh and London Kings Cross.
