The Tees Valley Combined Authority has released pictures of how Hartlepool station will look after its £12 million upgrade to bring the third platform back into use and adding a new footbridge and lifts. The work is due to start in August and be finished in time for the Tall Ships event in July next year. (Let’s hope the tracks are a little further apart!)

Once complete it is planned to introduce additional Northern services between Middlesbrough and Newcastle, making two per hour for at least part of the day

Coastliners will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Thursday 12th May. The meeting will start at 7.30 with our guest speaker Sean English, Chief Operating Officer of Grand Central Trains. This will be followed at around 8.30 by our AGM. All are welcome to listen to Sean English. To join the meeting just before 7.30 use the following link

https://zoom.us/8869224413/?pwd=Z3daZlJOZFh6NDdlTlJQV3hWSkxlZz09

From the start of the summer timetable Grand Central will be running a sixth return train between Sunderland & London (and a fifth on Sundays). This gives a useful mid morning departure from the north east coast and also provides a much desired tea-time return from York. . See the full timetable here