Sunderland rail passengers warned of bank holiday disruption

Passengers travelling to and from Sunderland are advised to prepare for changes to rail services on Sunday, May 3, and bank holiday Monday, May 4, due to engineering work by Network Rail.

Work will take place at three locations in the region as part of efforts to improve service reliability and reduce delays.

This includes drainage improvements at Sunderland station to help prevent flooding, upgrades to the level crossing at Tile Shed in East Boldon, and the installation of new switches and crossings at Pelaw in Gateshead.

Gunnar Lindahl, joint operations director for Network Rail and LNER, said: “By upgrading track equipment, level crossings and drainage, we’re helping to reduce future delays and keep services running safely.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this essential work is completed and encourage them to check their journeys before travelling.”

The planned works will result in significant service changes. Northern train services between Newcastle and Horden will be replaced by buses, and there will be no Grand Central trains to or from Sunderland.

Metro services will also be affected, with no trains running between Pelaw and South Hylton.

A replacement bus service, 901, will run between South Hylton and Heworth, serving all stations.

A spokesman for train operators said: “Because of this planned engineering work, some services to and from Sunderland will be altered on May 3 and the bank holiday of 4 May, with replacement buses operating on parts of the route.

“Customers are encouraged to plan ahead and check journey details in advance.”