London North Eastern Railway (LNER) have announced new Azuma services are to run between Middlesbrough and London King’s Cross station from December 2021, in an effort to better connect the two cities.
The daily weekday service in each direction will be the first direct link LNER have ran between Middlesbrough and the capital and will also connect the nearby town of Thornaby to London.
The new Azuma services will be the first wave of new LNER trains operating between Teesside and London.
More regular, direct services are planned by LNER in the future following the completion of further Middlesbrough station works which are currently being drawn up by Network Rail.
David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “Our new Azuma services will not only help transform the customer experience for those who travel between Middlesbrough and London but open up new economic opportunities for the town and wider area.
“The new, direct services from December will see journey times of around three hours between London and Middlesbrough, offering more opportunities for business travel, tourists and international visitors wanting to travel to the Tees Valley.”
The bi-mode Azuma fleet will run using the overhead electric wires, ensuring significant environmental benefits.
