Service Updates

From the 1st January 2025, single bus fares will be limited at £3 until the end of 2025.

The cap means no single bus fare on routes included in the scheme will exceed £3. Routes where fares are less than £3 will only be allowed to increase by inflation in the normal way meaning that some fares will remain below the cap.

A list of bus companies and bus routes in Tees Valley which are included in the scheme can be found here – £3 national bus fare cap – GOV.UK

This replaces the previous £2 cap on single bus fares which came to an end on 31^st December 2024.

With the help of cash boost from the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding received from the Department for Transport, we will continue to fund a number of bus services across our region until March 2026. These include:

• Services 17/18 (Darlington), to be operated by Arriva.
• Services 6/6A (Darlington & Stockton), to be operated by Stagecoach.
• Services 1&2 (Redcar and Cleveland), to be operated by Stagecoach.
• Service RP1 to Riverside Park (Middlesbrough), to be operated by Stagecoach.
• Services X40/X41 to Wynyard (Stockton & Hartlepool), to be operated by Stagecoach.
• Service 16 (Darlington), to be operated by Stagecoach.
• Services 3&4 (Darlington), to be operated by Arriva.
• Service 29 (Middlesbrough), to be operated by Arriva.
• Service 3 (Redcar and Cleveland), to be operated by Arriva.

In addition to the above services being extended to March 2026, we are also making extensions to the below services, securing contracts until August 2025:

• Service 101 to Teesport (Middlesbrough), to be operated by Stagecoach.
• Tees Flex, to be operated by Stagecoach.

Please refer to the relevant operator’s website for the applicable timetables.

Due to urgent repairs to the footbridge, until further notice no Northern services in the Eastbound direction (towards Redcar/Saltburn) are able to call at South Bank station. To assist customers to complete their journey, a shuttle bus has been provided between Middlesbrough, South Bank & Redcar Central. Customers at South Bank travelling towards Saltburn should board the shuttle service and then connect at Redcar Central for Northern services towards Saltburn. Services in the Westbound direction (towards Middlesbrough) will continue to operate as normal at South Bank.

Due to major engineering works on the East Coast Main Line, including at Darlington Station, on weekends from Saturday 8^th February through to Sunday 16^th March, buses will replace trains between Bishop Auckland/Darlington and Eaglescliffe.  Northern services will operate as normal east of Eaglescliffe.

Please check the Northern website regularly for the very latest information: https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/service-updates/engineering

From 14^th December all TPE services on the Teesside route will call at Eaglescliffe. Most services will start/terminate at Redcar Central with only a small number running on to Saltburn.

From 16^th December TPE services operating between Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle will no longer call at Northallerton in both directions. A new service operated by LNER will run between York and Newcastle in both directions, including a station calls at Northallerton, Darlington and Durham, at two-hour intervals.  This will provide alternative connectivity to Northallerton for passengers from Darlington, following the TPE change.

Due to the major engineering works on the East Coast Main Line/at Darlington, on weekends from Saturday 8^th February through to Sunday 16^th March, there will be no TPE services between York and Newcastle.  Buses will replace trains at Darlington and other stations on this section of route. Passengers will need to change at York for onward rail connections to Leeds, Manchester, etc.  During this period, TPE services on the route to/from Teesside (serving Saltburn, Redcar Central, Middlesbrough, Thornaby, Eaglescliffe and Yarm), will operate as normal.

Due to the on-going Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), which is delivering major improvements to the rail network, primarily between York and Manchester, there may periodically be diversions or alterations to service provision and timings on the TPE routes to Teesside and through Darlington. For more information on the project and any associated TPE service implications, please regularly review the TRU website – https://thetrupgrade.co.uk/aboutus, as well as the TPE website below.

Please check the TPE website regularly for the very latest information: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/planned-engineering-work

Due to on-going engineering works on the East Coast Main Line, including at Darlington Station, there may be minor changes to service times at Darlington.  Please regularly check the LNER website below for the latest information.

From 16th December, LNER will be temporarily operating weekday shuttle services between Newcastle and York in both directions, calling at Durham, Darlington and Northallerton.

On weekends from Saturday 8^th February through to Sunday 16^th March, there will be no LNER trains at Darlington.  Rail replacement services will run between Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Northallerton and York. LNER trains will run as normal south of York and north of Newcastle.

On Saturday 22^nd and Sunday 23^rd March lines between Doncaster and York will be closed for major upgrade work.  Northbound LNER services will terminate at Doncaster and southbound services will terminate at York, with rail replacement buses running between the two stations.

Please check the LNER website regularly for the very latest information: https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/changes-to-train-times/

On the weekends of 1^st/2^nd, 8^th/9^th and 15^th/16^th March, a reduced GC service will run due to engineering works.  On the Saturdays, 3 services will run from Hartlepool/Eaglescliffe to London Kings Cross in each direction and on the Sundays 2 services will run in each direction.

On Saturday 22^nd and Sunday 23^rd March, 2 GC services in each direction will operate at Hartlepool and Eaglescliffe and these will run between Sunderland and York only.

Please check the Grand Central website regularly for the very latest information: https://www.grandcentralrail.com/travelling-with-gc/engineering-works

Due to the major engineering works on the East Coast Main Line/at Darlington, on weekends from Saturday 8^th February through to Sunday 16^th March, there will be no XC trains at Darlington.  On weekends up to/including 1^st/2^nd March, rail replacement road transport will operate between Newcastle, Durham, Darlington and York each weekend.  On the weekends of 8^th/9^th and 15^th/16^th March rail replacement road transport will operate between Newcastle, Durham, Darlington and Leeds.

Please check the CrossCountry website regularly for the very latest information: https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/major-engineering-work

For the very latest information please visit the following operator websites:

Northern – https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/service-updates

TransPennine Express – https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates

LNER – https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travelling-now/travel-alerts/

CrossCountry – https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/service-updates

Grand Central – https://www.grandcentralrail.com/travelling-with-gc/live-arrivals-and-departures