The Esk Valley Railway has confirmed that special trains on New Year’s Day from Darlington to the North Yorkshire resort of Whitby, via Thornaby and Middlesbrough, will run as advertised.

There had been concerns that the trains would be cancelled after reports of a problem with a bridge at Grosmont, 7 miles from Whitby.

Grosmont is the junction of the Esk Valley Railway with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, but the bridge problem only affects trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway; trains operated by Northern along the Esk Valley to Whitby are not affected.

Seventeen stations along the Esk Valley Railway connect rural communities in the North York Moors with the town of Middlesbrough and the historic seaside town of Whitby, long associated with Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The special trains are operated by Northern with the support of the Community Rail Partnership and North Yorkshire Council. Trains will depart from Darlington at 09.23 and 14.20, Thornaby at 09.40 and 14.36, and Middlesbrough at 09.53 and 14.45, with an arrival in Whitby at 11.16; the trains do not stop at Gypsy Lane, Castleton Moor, Lealholm, or Sleights.

Return trains depart from Whitby at 11.25 and 16.25. There is no need to book, normal fares will apply, and dogs travel free. Further information can be found at www.eskvalleyrailway.co.uk.

In November, the Esk Valley Community Railway ran a Forget-Me-Not train for people with dementia and their carers.

Reports of cancellations due to a bridge problem at Grosmont apply only to North Yorkshire Moors Railway trains. Northern trains along the Esk Valley to Whitby are not affected.

Lisa Williams, Esk Valley Community Rail Partnership General Manager