Date set for new LNER direct services between Middlesbrough and London

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is proud to announce new Azuma services will be introduced between Middlesbrough and London King’s Cross from Monday 13 December 2021, with tickets now available at lner.co.uk.

The daily weekday service in each direction will be LNER’s first direct link between Middlesbrough and the capital and will also connect nearby Thornaby directly with London King’s Cross. 

The Azuma services will be the first wave of new LNER trains between Teesside and London. 

The new services will depart Middlesbrough at 07:08 and Thornaby at 07:15, arriving at London King’s Cross via York at 10:22. Northbound services will depart London at 15:25, stopping at York and arriving in Thornaby at 18:08 and Middlesbrough at 18:18. 

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.” 

With no change required for those travelling on the new services, customers can make the most of their travel time, whether it is making use of the free Wi-Fi to catch up on emails or enjoying an excellent range of refreshments served straight to them with LNER becoming the first train operator to introduce the ‘Let’s Eat at Your Seat’ service in Standard, complementing the Cafe Bar. 

Advance single tickets between Middlesbrough and London start from £20.60 in Standard or £60 in First Class when booked online at lner.co.uk 

To ensure customers can travel with confidence, record levels of enhanced cleaning continue to be carried out onboard LNER trains and managed stations. 

The Azuma fleet offers significant environmental benefits. The bi-mode Azuma trains will run using overhead electric wires between London and Northallerton then operate under diesel power to and from Middlesbrough.