Services on the East Coast Main Line will be disrupted over two weekends next month as Network Rail engineers carry out major upgrades between York and Newcastle upon Tyne.

LNER will operate a reduced service running one train an hour between London King’s Cross and Scotland which will take a diversionary route around the work. This might add as much as an hour’s extra travelling time.

Additional LNER services will operate but, on the weekend of Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 March, services from the north will terminate at Newcastle, while services from the south will terminate at York.

Replacement bus services will operate each way between Newcastle and York.

The following weekend, Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March, services from the north will run as far as Durham while the northbound services will continue to terminate at York.

Replacement bus services will be provided in each direction between Durham and York.

Other rail operators will be affected by the work over both weekends.

Lumo passengers can make use of a train service between Edinburgh Waverley and Newcastle, where a replacement coach service will connect to Northallerton. A daily return journey from London will start and finish at Northallerton.

CrossCountry services will terminate at Newcastle, while TransPennine Express (TPE) services will terminate at York.

Rail replacement services will operate between Newcastle and York. Any passengers using TPE to travel to Thirsk and Northallerton will not be affected by the work, with services between Saltburn and Manchester operating as normal.

Northern services will start and terminate at Eaglescliffe. Rail replacement bus services will operate onwards towards Darlington and Bishop Auckland.

The work will entail the installation of new switches and crossings and the laying of new track at both Durham and Chester-le-Street stations.

Engineers will also be working on overhead electric wires, signalling replacements near Durham and carrying out further work on the Darlington station upgrade project.

Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “Our teams will be working around the clock over these two weekends to deliver vital improvements to passengers’ journeys as they travel along the East Coast Main Line.

“Work on track will mean smoother and more reliable journeys as we replace switches that have been in place for many years with brand new equipment, while upgrades at Darlington station are part of the major enhancement project that will deliver a vastly improved experience as passengers travel to and from the station.

“We would encourage passengers to check their journey before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or through their train operator and thank passengers for their patience and understanding while these upgrades are carried out.”

A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, Lumo, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, and Northern, added: “Throughout the weekends, our teams will be on hand to keep passengers on the move and get them to their destinations as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

“All the latest journey information on how journeys may be impacted can be found on our websites, social media channels, or at our stations.”