LNER Sunderland extension withdrawal from December 2024
From December 2024 LNER will withdraw its Sunderland services to offer a more sustainable and reliable service.
LNER has made the difficult decision to withdraw its direct services between Sunderland and London King’s Cross service from the December 2024 timetable, following consultation between 11 June and 5 August 2021.
This means LNER will no longer depart from Sunderland at 05.39 southbound and arrive at 23.22 northbound. These services will both still operate between Newcastle and London.
Sunderland will continue to have good connectivity with LNER services via Northern Trains and the Tyne and Wear Metro, as well as direct London services operated by Grand Central. Grand Central has also increased its Sunderland-London services by one more service per day, from 5-6, from May 2022.
The direct LNER Sunderland to and from London King’s Cross services have had low passenger numbers between Newcastle and Sunderland since it was introduced by Virgin Trains East Coast in 2015.
LNER has taken the difficult decision to remove services from its December 2024 timetable to support the delivery of a reliable timetable, made possible by using the most efficient use of limited resources.
The Sunderland extension removal was previously consulted on in 2021. Please find a report on our LNER’s decision following that consultation here.
Accessibility
LNER is committed to providing clear and accurate information that everyone can access and understand. Printed copies, including Easy Read, Large Print and Braille, of the information found in this booklet can be obtained on request via our Customer Service Centre either by emailing customers@LNER.co.uk or calling 0345 7225333 between 08:00 and 22:00 Monday to Sunday.