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Some stations to lose trains in new timetable plan

BBC York train station from platform 3 with a timetable board listing the times of incoming trains. In the background is a train arriving into the station. BBC
The new timetable features additional services through York and Doncaster

Proposed changes to the East Coast Main Line (ECML) aimed at improving connectivity across Yorkshire have been announced.

The new timetable features additional services through York and Doncaster, but reduced services for stations like Northallerton.

The ECML said that the additional services would generate £60m per year for the rail industry, which would "enable further enhancements" on the line.

A final timetable for December 2025 will be available in late summer 2025.

The plans include:

  • More trains every day to London King's Cross, York, Sheffield and Doncaster, with improved journey times to some destinations
  • Only a few direct trains to Peterborough, Newark and Doncaster from Northallerton and almost no direct trains to Edinburgh
  • Some Grand Central trains calling at Pontefract Monkhill on Sundays for the first time
  • More trains between Harrogate, York and Leeds, including more rush hour and Sunday services
  • Seven LNER trains a day to and from Bradford Forster Square and Leeds from May 2025
  • An extra Northern service between Leeds and Sheffield calling only at Wakefield Westgate
The platform at Bradford Forster Square with two blue and yellow trains.
The plans include seven LNER trains a day to Bradford Forster Square

It also includes the ongoing TransPennine works in Huddersfield, with the express service from York and Manchester Piccadilly via Castleford and Wakefield Kirkgate not calling at Deighton.

The proposal for the December 2025 timetable was created based on consultations with the public from 2021.

The ECML said that the additional money generated by the extra services would go towards improvements on the line, such as enabling additional track capacity between Newcastle and York.

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