Rail passengers will face severe travel disruption over the next two weekends due to construction work and strike action.

Co-ordinated industrial action by multiple rail unions will mean that no trains can operate north of York on Saturday, October 1 and no trains can operate north of Newcastle on Saturday, October 8. 

On Wednesday, October 5, a severely limited special timetable will run along the East Coast Main Line – which connects London King’s Cross, to York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle – between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

Passengers are strongly advised to check before they travel and only travel by train if necessary.

Read more: Rail strikes - all the operators providing a reduced service on Saturday

There will also be changes to services on the intervening days as workers return to their duties, so passengers should continue to check before they travel via their train operator’s website throughout the week.

Major engineering work in Newcastle will continue as planned between Saturday 1 and Monday, October 10. This essential work will be going ahead despite the strikes to deliver the benefits as soon as possible and minimise future disruption.

Newcastle United supporters will be travelling to London on October 1 as the side face Fulham, while the London Marathon will be held the next day, when train services will also be affected. Middlesbrough supporters travelling to Coventry by train have also been warned to expect delays. 

 

What services are affected?

- CrossCountry services will start and end at York.

- TransPennine Express services south of Newcastle will terminate at Newcastle. Buses will replace train services between Newcastle and Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed.

- On Sunday, LNER will run a reduced hourly service north of Darlington, and between Newcastle and Edinburgh services will be diverted via Carlisle with extended journey times. Rail replacement services will operate between Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick-upon Tweed, Reston, Dunbar and Edinburgh.

LNER services may be busy and seat reservations are recommended. Services on other parts of the LNER route may also be affected and customers are advised to check before they travel.

- Northern Buses will replace Northern services between Morpeth and Chathill and services between Newcastle and Hexham/Carlisle will run to a reduced timetable.

Sarah Reid, East Coast route director for Network Rail, said: “Our advice to passengers who really need to take the train, especially those travelling north of York, is to plan ahead, check your journey and expect significant disruption throughout the week.”

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