Passengers are being warned to expect disruption as major updates at the town’s station get underway, meaning the line is closed in both directions for six consecutive weekends.
The works begin from Saturday, February 8, and Sunday, February 9, and will last until Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16.
The work at Darlington Station will see a 120-tonne crane lift steelwork over the East Coast Main Line as part of the £140m transformation of the Grade II-listed site.
The regeneration project will eventually also see the creation of a new multi-storey car park for more than 650 cars, a transport interchange and an improved Western entrance.
Also taking place during this period will be the demolition of the old Allerdene bridge, under National Highways’ A1 upgrade work.
The structure spans all lines of the East Coast Main Line just south of Newcastle and its removal requires measures to protect the track and overhead line equipment, with trains unable to run through the area while this takes place.
The weekend of February 22 to 23 will see the new enclosed, step-free footbridge lifted into place over the two new platforms at Darlington.
New switches will be tested against the signalling system, and there will be overhead line work across the whole station.
Engineers will also be laying new cables and installing cabinets and equipment beside the railway lines to enable further steps to be made in the project.
Throughout the six weekends, additional work will include:
- Installation of a semi-automatic track warning system between Ferryhill South and Tursdale junctions to keep our colleagues safer when working on the track
- Renewal of more than half a mile of rail, sleeper and ballast at Chester-le-Street
- Strengthening the ballast beneath the track at Tursdale Junction, restoring the line speed after previous rail upgrade work
- Creation of walkways beside the line between Durham station and Tursdale Junction, providing safer routes for our colleagues working on foot near the track
- Completion of 14 other smaller jobs, including track maintenance, telecoms work and preparations for Railway 200 celebrations.
During the six weekends, LNER will have a reduced service of one train per hour in each direction between London King’s Cross and Newcastle on a diversionary route, with all other services starting/terminating at York and Newcastle and rail replacement buses in between.
There will be no Lumo services between London King’s Cross and Newcastle, with a reduced and amended timetable running between Newcastle and Edinburgh only.
On Saturdays, Grand Central will operate a reduced service between London King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange/Sunderland, with some trains starting/terminating at York instead of Sunderland.
Sundays will see a reduced service between King’s Cross and Sunderland, with some trains starting/terminating at York instead of Sunderland.
Northern trains between Saltburn/Middlesbrough and Darlington/Bishop Auckland will start/terminate at Eaglescliffe, with rail replacement buses running between Eaglescliffe and Darlington/Bishop Auckland.
TransPennine Express will have buses replacing trains between York and Newcastle. On Sundays before noon, services will be further diverted between Leeds and York to run via Castleford.
Buses will replace CrossCountry trains between York and Newcastle.
Luke Durston, Network Rail principal programme sponsor, said: “We’ve reached a crucial stage in this transformational project which will deliver a significantly upgraded Darlington railway station.
“The installation of the footbridge will mark an important and visually striking milestone as we provide major improvements for passengers well into the future, while also preserving the building’s past.
Read More:
“We’re sorry to passengers and residents who may be affected during this phase, but we are making every effort to minimise disruption throughout the project by carrying out as much work as possible while the line is closed.”
A spokesperson on behalf of train operators said: “We know that these upgrades will have an impact on customer journeys, but we will have colleagues working hard to make sure that everyone gets to their destination as quickly and smoothly as possible.
“We want to thank customers in advance for their patience and would encourage them to check their journey before they travel and keep up to date with the latest information via their operator’s website and social media channels, and at stations.”
