Tees Valley Line Rail User Group

03/06/2026

Last nights TVL RUG group meeting produced the usual lively conversation and debate over numerous railway issues, including:

• Whitby station ticket office
• Recent engineering work as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) and at Darlington station
• Overcrowding on trains to Redcar and Saltburn on the late May Bank Holiday Monday
• Darlington station
• Rail replacement buses (RRB)
• Saltburn Food Festival
• Fare evasion and antisocial behaviour
• South Bank station footbridge
• Eaglescliffe station
• Great British Railways (GBR)

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 7th July in the Middleton St. George Cricket & Social Club (nearest station: Dinsdale) at 1900 with a presentation by Dennis Fancett, Chair of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG).

02/06/2026

🚧 ENGINEERING WORKS (TPE) during June
Impact on Redcar Central Services

⚠️ IMPORTANT
This disruption applies to TransPennine Express (TPE) services only
✅ Northern services between Bishop Auckland / Darlington and Saltburn are NOT affected

📅 WEEKDAYS (until June 26th)
TPE services

✅ Trains run York ↔ Redcar Central only
❌ No direct trains to/from Manchester / Leeds / Huddersfield
🔄 You will need to:

Change at York, or
Use rail replacement buses

📅 WEEKENDS (Until June 21st)
TPE services

🔀 Services split into two sections:

Manchester Airport → Huddersfield
Leeds → Redcar Central

❌ No direct trains across the Pennines
🔄 Extra changes required
🚌 Buses may replace part of your journey

⏱️ WHAT THIS MEANS

Longer journey times
More changes
Less reliable connections

✅ WHY THIS WORK IS HAPPENING

Track and drainage upgrades
Station improvements
Preparation for electric trains
➡️ More reliable journeys in future

👉 BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
✔️ Check your journey
✔️ Allow extra time
✔️ Plan connections carefully

📍 KEY POINT
If you’re travelling via Redcar Central — check TPE services carefully

02/06/2026

From our experience, these issues are certainly prevalent between Saltburn and Redcar.

Is the situation similar further down the Darlington to Saltburn Tees Valley Line?

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Kq1ECQp3c/

'They are transporting their anti-social behaviour along local lines, facilitated by an understaffed rail network and ‘free’ mobility due to fare avoidance'

29/05/2026

🚉 Station Timetables – Are They Available at Your Station?

While at Redcar Central recently, we spotted this up-to-date timetable poster on Platform 1.

Although many passengers now use apps and online journey planners, printed timetables remain an important source of information for many rail users, particularly when planning journeys at the station.

👀 We’d like to get a picture of how things look across the Tees Valley Line and beyond.

Have you noticed whether your local station has a current timetable poster on display?

📸 If you’re passing through a station and don’t see one, or if the timetable appears to be missing, damaged or out of date, please let us know in the comments (or send us a photo).

We’ll build up a picture across the route and raise any concerns with the relevant operators where needed.

28/05/2026

🚆 Come and join the conversation

Our next TVL-RUG meeting will take place on:

📍 Morrisons, Lord Street, Redcar
📅 Tuesday 2 June
🕖 19:00

We’ve had some fantastic passenger feedback recently, covering everything from connections and reliability to station facilities, accessibility, capacity and future services.

This meeting is a chance to turn that feedback into action — and to make sure passenger voices continue to be heard.

Whether you’re a regular traveller, an occasional passenger, or just interested in local rail services, you’d be very welcome.

Come along, meet the group, and have your say.

28/05/2026

BAM UK & Ireland has completed the expansion of Darlington Station, delivering the work while the station remained in live operation.

28/05/2026

🌙 Early and late trains

Early morning and late evening services can make a huge difference.

They affect work, hospital trips, days out, nights away, airport journeys and getting home safely.

Where do you think the first or last trains need improving?

👇 Tell us the journey and why it matters.

27/05/2026

🎟️ Ticketing and value for money

How do you find rail fares and ticketing at the moment?

We’re interested in things like:

• Advance fares
• Flexible tickets
• Ticket machines
• Apps and online booking
• Delay Repay
• Whether the fare feels fair for the journey

What works well — and what feels confusing or poor value?

👇 Tell us your experience.