York train disruption amid East Coast Main Line work

Work to upgrade the East Coast Main Line is taking place at sites between York and Newcastle every weekend in March.

There will also be signal testing on the southern part of the line in Hertfordshire next Sunday (March 15), affecting services between Peterborough and London King’s Cross.

Rail replacement services will be in place for train services from York to and from Darlington and Durham over the four weekends.

The rail replacement services will connect passengers travelling to or from Darlington and Durham with trains at either York or Newcastle.

Network Rail said passengers are “advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys”.

An hourly rail service will run during the work using a diversion route to connect customers between York, Northallerton and Newcastle, via Sunderland, Network Rail said.

The rail operator said trains will still be running for “most passengers” travelling through the North East.

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Network Rail said the work includes the renewal of more than 3.8km of track, as well as new switches and crossings at three locations.

Work will also be carried out on the £140 million Darlington station upgrade which will also see overhead line equipment installed as the project nears completion, it said.

Gunnar Lindahl, joint operations director for Network Rail and LNER, said the East Coast Main Line upgrades will “keep trains running safely and reliably for the millions of passengers who depend on the route”.

“We appreciate this work does mean changes to weekend services, and we’re grateful to passengers for their patience while we complete these upgrades,” he said.