NYMR news and updates.

[Ploughman]

Will anything be able to run? Who knows.

 

[kevinbev]

Timetable for the 2026 season is now out and prices for the day rovers. New travel passes now discontinued.

 

[EYFanatic]

I don't know if it counts as news as such, but I've been in and out of Pickering on the last day of Viscount buses and both platforms at Pickering have, as of this post, full rakes of stock on both platforms

 

[kevinbev]

There was a volunteer recruitment day on at Pickering stn today (Sat) which probably explains why the platforms were occupied. There were Pullman carriages on platform 1 and a rake of ordinary carriages on 2 headed by a class 31

 

[SeanG]

Timetable for the 2026 season is now out and prices for the day rovers. New travel passes now discontinued.

With the novel sales technique of lowering prices at peak times and having higher prices when it's quieter...

 

[Iskra]

With the novel sales technique of lowering prices at peak times and having higher prices when it's quieter...

Do you think it's aligned with capacity provision rather than demand?

It does seem a bit backwards?

 

[SeanG]

Perhaps, maybe they are planning to run shorter trains on off peak dates. But surely you would just keep the price the same all year round.
In addition some areas have different half terms etc so not sure how that would work.

 

[Notabene]

The Sunday timetable doesn't fit with the NR timetable for Whitby. It will need reworking.

Also the Whitby day trip only allows around 2 hrs in the town for most of the season. Two trains out and back in high summer only.

 

[JGurney]

Timetable for the 2026 season is now out and prices for the day rovers. New travel passes now discontinued.

Does anyone know the rationale for that? Did users like local residents making several trips in a year from Pickering to Goathland or Whitby to Newtondale Halt end up generating more costs than the revenue upfront (and local good opinion) was worth?

 

[DarloRich]

New travel passes now discontinued.

the yearly free return passes or something else?

 

[SeanG]

I always maintained that the annual travel pass encouraged us to visit more and on each visit we spent a considerable sum on food and drink at the railway.
However without the annual pass, if we can only go once for the same price, we would be unlikely to visit at all.

 

[JGurney]

the yearly free return passes or something else?

Those disappeared a few years ago. Last year there was a £180 (or £200 with £30 gift shop voucher back) annual season, called the 'Travel Pass'.

Looking at the fares in more detail I think I have found the answer to my own earlier question. I see that a £38/year annual membership obtains a 50% fare reduction. That suggests that a £180 annual season would only be economic for someone intending to make journeys which would cost over £280/year if paid for individually. For anyone intending to make journeys usually costing in total between £80 and £280 in a year then becoming a member would be cheaper. That suggests that the Travel Pass holders (apart from those who would have been better off not getting them) were making journeys usually priced at £280+ while paying £180, which is a big discount for a struggling line.

The only NYMR travel pass holder I have met said that she had used the railway less often than she expected and would actually have spent less in the year buying tickets each time she travelled, but did not mind as she liked supporting the railway (she lived in Whitby and had anticipated making a number of hikes using Goathland and Newtondale Halt, but did fewer than she planned) so in her case the NYMR benefitted from her having the travel pass. Presumably most holders did use their passes often enough to be worthwhile to themselves, but therefore not to the railway.

 

[Egton]

The Sunday timetable doesn't fit with the NR timetable for Whitby. It will need reworking.

Also the Whitby day trip only allows around 2 hrs in the town for most of the season. Two trains out and back in high summer only.

NYMR times and Northern times do fit for the NYMR Pink Sundays - which is most of the season. For the 6 weeks of NYMR blue Sundays some NYMR services would be delayed 5 to 10 minutes waiting for Northern to return the token - but then the NYMR typically runs late !! - or maybe there is some adjustment to Northern times on Sundays with the new May Timetable - Northern were criticised for poor Sunday connections at Middlesbrough when current timetables came in last December. Alternatively - there was talk of points at Grosmont and Whitby being motorised this winter - which would eliminate the NYMR Mobile Ground frame operator - and reduce their Grosmont Whitby journey times by 6 or 7 minutes - thus allowing NYMR services to recover the time lost waiting for access to the single line to / from Whitby. Maybe the timetable assumes this will happen ??

 

[kje7812]

Those disappeared a few years ago. Last year there was a £180 (or £200 with £30 gift shop voucher back) annual season, called the 'Travel Pass'.

Looking at the fares in more detail I think I have found the answer to my own earlier question. I see that a £38/year annual membership obtains a 50% fare reduction. That suggests that a £180 annual season would only be economic for someone intending to make journeys which would cost over £280/year if paid for individually. For anyone intending to make journeys usually costing in total between £80 and £280 in a year then becoming a member would be cheaper. That suggests that the Travel Pass holders (apart from those who would have been better off not getting them) were making journeys usually priced at £280+ while paying £180, which is a big discount for a struggling line.

Something to add here is membership is going up to £60 pa for adults, effective 1st March.
Also I gather for new members, posted printed copies of the magazine will be extra. A version via email will be provided free of charge.

 

[kevinbev]

Read an article today (think it was a tees side paper that the propping up of bridge 42 is a bigger job than expected and as a result services through to grosmont and Whitby will not start until around the end of April.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Mar 2026 ==

Copied from the timetable
BRIDGE 42 UPDATE
We are currently repairing Bridge 42, which sits
between the tunnel and Grosmont station.
Unfortunately, the work required to resume
services over the bridge will not be completed
until 25 April. As a result, at the start of the 2026
season we will be running our reduced yellow
timetable between Pickering and Goathland only.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Not shocked to hear that. I think they are being optimistic for April to be honest. But best of luck to them.

 

[Belperpete]

Not shocked to hear that. I think they are being optimistic for April to be honest. But best of luck to them.

As they say they have started work, does this mean that they have appointed the contractor?

If the 25 April date has come from the contractor doing the work, I would have a bit more confidence in it.

 

[Jan Mayen]

May I ask for some advice, please?
I'm thinking of getting an All Line Rover in April and was thinking of going to the NYMR.
The plan would be something like:
York - Maton - (taxi) Pickering - Whitby - Middlesborough.
However, as the line may well be partially closed, can anyone suggest hiw to travel Goathland to either Grosmont or Whitby, please?
Many thanks

 

[sprinterguy]

May I ask for some advice, please?
I'm thinking of getting an All Line Rover in April and was thinking of going to the NYMR.
The plan would be something like:
York - Maton - (taxi) Pickering - Whitby - Middlesborough.
However, as the line may well be partially closed, can anyone suggest hiw to travel Goathland to either Grosmont or Whitby, please?
Many thanks

Coastliner bus (840) from Goathland to Whitby, though they're infrequent.

Or the walk along the old railway formation from Goathland to Grosmont is pleasant and untaxing.

 

[LMS 4F]

Coastliner bus (840) from Goathland to Whitby, though they're infrequent.

Or the walk along the old railway formation from Goathland to Grosmont is pleasant and untaxing.

The walk back to Grosmont is quite steep after Beck Hole, where the pub is very good, if you aren’t very mobile.

 

[sprinterguy]

The walk back to Grosmont is quite steep after Beck Hole, where the pub is very good, if you aren’t very mobile.

I suspect you may have transposed Grosmont and Goathland there - I recall the slope being downhill in the Grosmont (northbound) direction, and being located between Goathland and Beck Hole. Checking a route description and gradient profile online corroborates this. Beyond Beck Hole the footpath largely follows the river in the direction of flow, barring the climb over the top of Grosmont tunnel at the end.

I fully agree that the pub at Beck Hole is excellent, though.

 

[NER1621]

The walk back to Grosmont is quite steep after Beck Hole, where the pub is very good, if you aren’t very mobile.

The walk from Goathland TO Grosmont is downhill all the way, very pleasant and untaxing, as the previous poster said. The pub at Beck Hole is very good whether you’re very mobile or not.

 

[35B]

The walk from Goathland TO Grosmont is downhill all the way, very pleasant and untaxing, as the previous poster said. The pub at Beck Hole is very good whether you’re very mobile or not.

It is an easy walk, but it does require an ascent at the Grosmont end to walk over the tunnel. It is not an ascent that should trouble anyone who has managed the previous 3 miles (with or without the short detour to the Beck Hole pub), and I have done it several times with a buggy, and on occasion with self-propelled small children.

 

[Notabene]

Allow around one hour for the walk down to Grosmont. It's very pleasant.

 

[Ploughman]

The Coastliner bus calls at Goathland and Sleights but I do not know of any that call at Grosmont.

 

[SuspectUsual]

The Coastliner bus calls at Goathland and Sleights but I do not know of any that call at Grosmont.

The 96 calls at Grosmont en route Whitby to Lealholm but it only runs 3 or 4 times a day

 

[Gwr12345]

Does anyone know what the method of operation for the Yellow timetable is going to be? Can the locos run around at Grosmont or are they top and tailed?

 

[kje7812]

Top and tailed Pickering to Goathland. No access to Grosmont and due to points being taken out of use, no runround available at Goathland.

 

[kevinbev]

Saw this planning notice at Grosmont station today dated 25th March. Says comments are required within 21 days with extension for bank holidays. I take it that no work can start on it until after that date which would make it highly unlikely that works would be complete by 25th April

 

[Belperpete]

Saw this planning notice at Grosmont station today dated 25th March. Says comments are required within 21 days with extension for bank holidays. I take it that no work can start on it until after that date which would make it highly unlikely that works would be complete by 25th April

The 25th April date is when they intend to have the bridge temporarily propped to allow services to resume. This looks to be an application to do the final repair work.

I doubt that the timber propping requires listed building consent, as it won't be affecting the building (bridge) structure. Whereas the repair work may well do, e.g. if replacement materials are needed.