Northern new timetable 2022: Several Yorkshire routes see cuts to rail services including Whitby, Ilkley and Harrogate - but capacity boost for Settle to Carlisle line

Northern's new timetable has seen cuts to services on several routes in Yorkshire - which industry insiders claim is due to a backlog in driver training and staff availability.

Those missing out include the Esk Valley Line between Middlesbrough and Whitby, which is losing three trains per day and seeing two replaced by buses - despite its potential as a tourist route in summer.

The commuter routes between Leeds/Bradford and Ilkley and Leeds - Harrogate - York will also endure reductions in services.

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However Northern has confirmed extra trains will run on the Yorkshire Coast Line between Hull, Beverley Bridlington, Driffield and Scarborough and there will be additional capacity on the tourist-heavy Settle to Carlisle route through the Yorkshire Dales in the summer.

Whitby Station will see fewer services on the Esk Valley Line to Middlesbrough, the only route that still serves the townWhitby Station will see fewer services on the Esk Valley Line to Middlesbrough, the only route that still serves the town
Whitby Station will see fewer services on the Esk Valley Line to Middlesbrough, the only route that still serves the town

The new timetable comes into effect on May 15.

Northern chief operating officer Tricia Williams said: "On the majority of routes, Northern will maintain service levels established in December last year and some routes will see increased seat capacity and service uplifts.

“We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available and prioritising the routes with the highest customer demand, and which support the region’s economic growth.”

Yet the decision has disappointed Esk Valley Community Rail Partnership chairman Alan Williams, as the group has spent years campaigning for better services to and from Whitby and even secured funding for improvements to the line that has yet to be spent.

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Mr Williams said: "No doubt about it, the Northern rail timetable from May 15 is a big disappointment. The earlier morning service, at 6.30am from Whitby for which we fought for so long, is withdrawn completely, while the later evening services at 20.42pm from Middlesbrough and 22.23pm from Whitby are each replaced by two bus services - one serving the same stations along the Valley as the train, the other non-stop between Middlesbrough and Whitby. The remaining four services each way will run at the same times as now.

"We pressed hard for a replacement bus service for the morning train too, but Northern say that it has been little used. That’s hardly surprising, as it was only introduced a few weeks before Covid struck, and the 6.30am departure from Whitby along the Valley is almost an hour earlier than originally envisaged. Many of you have told us not only that it is too early, but that it provides no meaningful onward connections from Middlesbrough.

"The existing services had become increasingly unreliable in recent months and Northern have assured us that these service reductions are a response in order to improve reliability and are only temporary. There is an ongoing shortage of train crews both as a result of a large backlog in training and the continuing high level of Covid-related absences. Northern say the intention is to reinstate the full six-train a day service in December 2022, and possibly even earlier if circumstances allow. We will certainly be pressing them to do so.

"The early morning train for which we campaigned is a Northern franchise commitment and we have made clear to Northern that, given the low usage because of the clearly unsuitable timing, we see little purpose in simply reinstating the service at its previous 6.30am timing from Whitby, and that a replacement bus service along the Valley about an hour later would be preferable until a train at this more convenient time can be provided.

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"The major problem in operating the early morning train at a more convenient time has been the need to pass the school train travelling in the opposite direction at either Battersby or Glaisdale. However Northern have now developed an outline new timetable which would provide up to eight trains a day between Whitby and Middlesbrough at approximately two-hourly intervals, including a first departure from Whitby and along the Esk Valley almost an hour later than now, providing an arrival in Middlesbrough before 9.00am.

"It is now seven years since the Partnership and others persuaded the then York Potash to provide nearly £7million in funds to improve the infrastructure from Whitby along the Esk Valley Line to enable an eight trains a day service, with an approved, shovel-ready plan ready for a quick start on work. But instead, the proposals have become mired in the bureaucracy of Network Rail and North Yorkshire Council, with still no agreement on how the funds - which are ring-fenced and outwith both Network Rail and NYC budgets - should be spent.

"While a return to a six trains a day service would be possible fairly quickly, the full eight trains a day service that Northern have outlined could not be achieved without improvements to the infrastructure of the line. Ridership on the Esk Valley Line has already recovered much more quickly than the national average. With the growing and likely continuing environmental pressures, including on fuel costs for motorists, coupled with the need to provide adequate accommodation on the sometimes already overcrowded existing services, improvements are now needed urgently."

Changes to Yorkshire routes

- Increased seat capacity on the Settle and Carlisle line

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- A small number of services removed on the Whitby - Middlesbrough line

- Additional services added between Darlington and Saltburn

- Significant uplift on Yorkshire Wolds Coast line, between Bridlington and Hull

- A small number of services have been removed on the following routes:

- Ilkley - Leeds / Bradford

- Skipton - Leeds / Bradford

- York - Harrogate - Leeds

- Hull - Leeds - Halifax

- Leeds - Sheffield - Nottingham

- Leeds - Sheffield via Dearne