Warning to Hartlepool and Sunderland rail travellers over festive cancellations

Northern, which runs services from Sunderland to Hartlepool via Seaham and Horden and then on to Seaton Carew and Billingham, said “services are expected to be busy over festive period and maybe subject to short-notice cancellations and alterations”.

It added: “This is due to major engineering work in the area, the impact of Covid and train crew availability.”

Northern has also reminded passengers that services will end from 7pm on Christmas Eve and there are no trains running on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The company added: “As in recent years there will also be no services operating on New Year's Day in the North East.”

Services will resume as per the normal timetable on January, 2022.

Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern, said: “We advise passengers who plan to travel over the Christmas period to check their journey in advance - with their train operator or via National Rail Enquiries - and allow plenty of time.

“We’re sorry if anyone experiences disruption over the Christmas period.”

The operator is also asking customers to be considerate of others and wear a face covering, unless exempt, on trains and at stations.

Northern has more than 600 dedicated cleaning staff working on trains and at stations with a particular focus on touch points such as tables, buttons, and toilets.

The enhanced cleaning regime is designed to protect customers and staff by reducing the potential risk of transmission which is already proven to be extremely low on the rail network.

For full details of Northern’s timetables, visit northernrailway.co.uk or nationalrail.co.uk

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