Harrogate passengers hopes rise of better rail services as revamp details are thrashed out

Brian L Dunsby OBE of Harrogate Line Supporters Group said the new Network Rail approved timetables would confirm what passengers had hoped for ever since rail operators Northern announced cuts in December 2021 amid the challenging times of the pandemic.

Mr Dunsby said: " "It is very encouraging that Northern have kept their promise to reinstate all the “lost” services that were cut out in May 2022, although they have not been able to bring any forward to September 2022 because of current industrial action. "

Although discussions at Northern are still ongoing, the new timetable for Harrogate trains is expected to run from December 11, 2022 to May 13, 2023.

"This is very good news for Harrogate Line passengers," said Mr Dunsby.

"We are likely to see the reinstatement of the 06:07 and 06:33 early morning trains from Harrogate to Leeds and also the late afternoon and evening trains which were withdrawn in May.

"The services which will be reinstated are very important for business and leisure travellers to London and other destinations from Leeds.

"“Many thanks to the Northern Rail management team and Network Rail.”

Harrogate rail passengers have long fought for a better service to London.

Less than a year before the outbreak of Covid, good times appeared to lie ahead when ail operator LNER revealed the biggest transformation on the East Coast route from London in more than 30 years, including the arrival of new, state-of-the-art Azuma trains and the introduction of six daily direct services between Harrogate and London Kings Cross.

But those hopes suffered a setback when rail operators were forced to make cutbacks during the pandemic.

In another blow in late 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a change of heart on plans for a new high-speed HS2 eastern line from London to Leeds

The scrapping of the flagship rail project was condemned by Brian Dunsby, OBE of Harrogate Line Supporters Group who said: “I am disappointed but not really surprised by the Government’s decision to drop the HS2b Eastern Leg of the HS2 programme due to all the objections raised in South Yorkshire coupled with the escalating cost of the HS2 scheme.”