What have we been doing recently?

We participated in consultations, not least arising from LNER’s publication of its proposed timetable for May 2022, to which there was so much vigorous opposition that its introduction has already been postponed until 2023. All the North’s local and regional bodies as well as rail user groups have proposed numerous modifications in replies to Northern. Transpennine Express and Cross-Country Trains as well as LNER in order to preserve and promote northern connectivity as envisaged by the Northern Powerhouse

Forthcoming Zoom meeting

Meanwhile, we have at long last the prospect of a Coastliners group meeting, though in Zoom format, with Matt Vickers, MP for Stockton South, who has proposed making Stockton the HQ of the intended Great British Railways, now in process of being established. He has said that he would like to meet our group and talk to us (and hopefully listen to us in turn) on various matters of concern, including persuading Grand Central to stop its trains at Stockton. We would hope also to draw his attention to the gross overcrowding problems along the Coast Line especially but not solely on Saturdays, with or without football fixtures at Middlesbrough and/or, Hartlepool, Sunderland, and Newcastle. This will take place on the evening of 20th January 2022 at 1930hrs. If you would like to participate please email our Chairman, Peter Walker at pj.walker@zen.co.uk, for a link.

Little change to the Northern coastline timetable but Grand Central resume their full timetable of five trains each way on weekdays and four on Sundays

A new plant is to be established next year on Hartlepool’s former Heerema site to manufacture 36,000 concrete segments for the HS2 twin bore tunnels under London to the west of Old Oak Common station. Each segment weighs around seven tonnes. From early 2023 this will result in the first regular train service from Hartlepool Docks for many years, delivering the segments to the Willesden construction terminal.