TransPennine Express has been collaborating with stakeholders and industry partners to introduce new services on the East Coast Main Line with an agreement made for Transport Scotland and Rail North Partnership to introduce five services every weekday which will run from Edinburgh to Newcastle.
The timetable changes will come into operation from December 2021 and will see the five trains serving the following areas in both directions: Edinburgh Waverley, Dunbar, Reston (when opened), Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnmouth, Widdrington, Morpeth, Cramlington and Newcastle
Services which call at Widdrington and Cramlington will be available once industry procedures for operational and safety requirements are completed. This will mean that these stops may come online after the new December 2021 timetable begins.
The new services are aimed at “new to rail” markets located in the Scottish Borders whilst also providing a connection to Northumberland and to both Edinburgh and Newcastle, with five-carriage Nova 1 trains running the new services.
TransPennine Express is also going to bring another two extra services each day from May 2022, which will run between Edinburgh Waverley, Dunbar, Reston and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The seven new services will call at Reston in both directions when the station is opened and will also call at East Linton once the station is opened there as well.
TransPennine Express will continue working with customers, communities, stakeholders and industry partners for future service options which may be suited to this route. The rail operator is pleased to the able to bring new services for customers and the communities who will benefit from increased connectivity.
Below is a working timetable for the services, which will run Monday to Friday from December 2021. This timetable is currently advisory as TransPennine Express are awaiting confirmation from Network Rail, which is regular practice within the industries timetable development procedures.
Where * is shown denotes that this call is not available as yet due to lack of capacity
Tickets will be available for purchase from Friday the 17th of September 2021 with the first services running from December 2021.
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What about other stations that Transpennine Express could also allow their trains to stop at including Chathill. Maybe Northern could operate once a day electric service from Newcastle to Chathill using Class 319 and/or Class 331 EMUs. Or to inherit extra Class 319s from London Northwestern Railway.
Chathill is just a few houses but was the rail head for the North Sunderland branch to Seahouses, about 4 miles away. There is virtually no custom (less than 10 passengers a day) from the station itself but 2 trains a day stop there on their way to and from the Cragmill loops to reverse back to Newcastle.
TPE were running ECML services Tyne to Forth before the covid episode . . .