Three weekends of rail disruption between Newcastle and Edinburgh amid major rail upgrades
Customers have been warned to plan ahead and allow for extra travel time
Passengers travelling between Edinburgh and Newcastle are facing three consecutive weekends of rail replacement buses and diversions due to major rail upgrades taking place across the North East of England.
Network Rail said rail replacement transport will operate for stations between Newcastle and Edinburgh on the weekends of September 19 and 20, September 26 and 27 and October 3 and 4.
No CrossCountry, Lumo, or TransPennine Express trains will run between Edinburgh and Newcastle, with rail replacement buses between the two cities being arranged for CrossCountry and TransPennine passengers.
LUMO trains will only offer a truncated service between London King’s Cross and Newcastle.
No LNER trains are able to run on the East Coast Main Line between Newcastle and Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed, with a diverted service running hourly service between Newcastle and Edinburgh via Carlisle instead.
ScotRail services between Edinburgh and Dunbar will also not run on the dates. Rail replacement buses will run between Drem and Dunbar via East Linton.
Rail replacement buses will also be available for TransPennine Express passengers travelling from Edinburgh to Berwick, calling at East Linton, Dunbar and Reston, on the September dates and from Dunbar to Berwick on the October weekend.
Passengers have been told to plan ahead by checking the details of their journeys before setting off, and planning for extra travel time.
The £7.1 million works includes laying 3.2 kilometres of new track in the North East of England, as well as renewing overhead line equipment, upgrading switches and crossings and improving drainage systems.
Gunnar Lindahl, joint operations director for Network Rail and LNER, said: “This is a major programme of work that will help deliver a more reliable railway between Newcastle and Scotland for passengers and freight customers.
“These three weekends of work will see us deliver a significant package of improvements – renewing track, points, drainage and overhead line equipment across the route.
“By investing in this vital infrastructure now, we can improve reliability, reduce the risk of delays caused by flooding and failures, and help provide smoother, more reliable journeys for passengers and freight services.
“We know that engineering work causes disruption to passengers and we’re sorry to anyone whose journey will be affected. We want to thank passengers and residents for their patience while this essential work takes place.”
A spokesperson for the train operating companies said: “These improvements will help deliver a more reliable railway for our customers, and we’re working hard as an industry to keep people moving over these weekends.
“Some trains can divert around the work, allowing customers to maintain direct rail connections. However, some stations will be served by rail replacement services.
“For those travelling on these weekends, we encourage you to check your journey before setting off and allow extra time to complete your journey.”