East Coast Main Line disruptions to affect Darlington

Over four weekends in March, including this weekend (March 7 and 8), Network Rail is carrying out upgrades on the route between York and Newcastle, as well as pushing ahead with the £140m upgrade of Darlington station.

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.

Trains will still be running through the North East, but services will be diverted and there will be fewer trains, meaning longer journey times and busier services for many passengers.

For people travelling to or from Darlington, rail replacement buses will link passengers with trains at either York or Newcastle, so passengers should expect journeys to take longer than usual.

The work includes renewing several kilometres of track and junctions around Darlington and along the route, plus installing new overhead line equipment at Darlington station as the project nears completion.

Network Rail revealed on March 5, that Darlington Station will reopen in May 2026.

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.”

Rail bosses are urging passengers to check before they travel, allow extra time and only bring luggage they can comfortably carry.