In 2021, there was talk of the one service between the town and the capital, per a day, in each direction, increasing by May 2023. But this has not yet materialised and operator LNER has not given a date for when it is hoped additional services will commence. The operator instead highlighted obstacles that need to be overcome before extra trains can be provided. It comes after a recent Middlesbrough Council meeting heard that recently-confirmed government funding will see more trains bound for London, with one councillor telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he wants to see an increased service in place within two years “at most”. Speaking at full council meeting, on Wednesday, July 9, executive member for development, Labour Councillor Theo Furness spoke about the £60m investment into Middlesbrough railway station, which was confirmed prior to last month’s spending review. In June, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that the Tees Valley would be receiving the entire £978m allocation for transport improvements across the region, originally promised under the previous Conservative government. Out of all of the projects as part of the near £1bn funding, Andy McDonald, Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, was particularly excited about the third platform for Middlesbrough which the government allocated £60m to – with the Chancellor mentioning the project during the spending review delivered in the House of Commons. At full council, Cllr Furness said the investment “will see further trains to London” – improving on the current situation of one LNER service a day going from Middlesbrough to London in the morning with one returning in the afternoon. Mr McDonald has been saying for years that more direct services are needed. At the end of 2021, the daily connection to the capital was launched, with Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen welcoming the first direct service from Middlesbrough to London for more than 30 years. Mayor Houchen has previously detailed the aim of increasing the frequency of the service by May 2023 to seven trains a day, although this never materialised, and neither did the ambition of completing the construction of platform three by July 2023. Two years on from the target date detailed by Mayor Houchen, LNER has confirmed that it is still their ambition to increase the number of its services between Middlesbrough and London King’s Cross. However, this relies on work being completed on a new platform and the introduction of new trains, as well as government and rail industry approval on any new timetable. Labour Councillor David Branson, who chairs Tees Valley Combined Authority’s (TVCA) scrutiny sub committee on transport matters, said: “I would like to see a clear time line for the introduction of a London service. It would be good if this could be within two years at most. The number of services would depend on demand but it would be great to have at least 4 services a day to begin with.” When contacted for comment, Mayor Houchen said: “After significant delay following the review of CRSTS funding by the government, we now have all the funding we need to complete platform three which will allow us to expand services as planned. I look forward to seeing more frequent trains to and from Middlesbrough, something we promised and are delivering.”
