London North Eastern Railway (LNER) will run six extra trains for runners and spectators to travel to Tyneside for the Great North Run on Sunday
The extra services will provide thousands more seats, and will run additionally to the usual timetable. They will run on Sunday morning (10 September) between Edinburgh Waverley, Durham, Darlington, Doncaster, Leeds and Newcastle.
Founded in 1981, the Great North Runis the largest half marathon in the world. It takes place every year, with participants running between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields. The event was initiated by former Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Brendan Foster.
The additional train times are:
- 07:00 from Doncaster, calling at York (07:29), Northallerton (07:50), arriving at Newcastle at 08:26
- 07:05 from Edinburgh Waverley, calling at Dunbar (07:28), Berwick-upon-Tweed (07:55), Alnmouth (08:17), Morpeth (08:32), arriving at Newcastle at 08:45
- 07:10 from Leeds, calling at York (07:41), arriving at Newcastle at 08:44
- 07:20 from Darlington, calling at Durham (07:38), arriving at Newcastle at 07:53
- 07:50 from Darlington, calling at Durham (08:17), arriving at Newcastle at 08:31
- 07:56 from Durham arriving at Newcastle at 08:13
Advance fares are available to buy from the LNER app or website. Advance single tickets to Newcastle start at the following prices:
- from Darlington: £6.30 in Standard
- from York £21.80
- from Edinburgh £24.90
Passengers who buy thrir tickets directly ftom LNER can choose to receive real-time journey updates and earn rewards from LNER Perks, the operator's loyalty scheme. Rewards include five pounds for joining and two per cent credit for each booking with LNER.
A team of LNER staff is taking part in the Great North Run to raise funds for LNER's partner charity, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
Warrick Dent, Safety & Operations Director at LNER, said: “We're delighted to support those taking part in the Great North Run and their supporters. Many thousands of people will be making their way to Newcastle for this great event and our services will bring them into the heart of the city. We encourage people to plan and book ahead as trains are likely to be very popular and we recommend customers make sure they have a seat reservation for the most comfortable journey.”
