Routing to avoid ECML disruption below York

[Peter Mugridge]

Following the latest disruption yesterday on the ECML ( broken rail on one of the mains at Colton Junction, I think? ), I am wondering which alternative routes I could use to get round any issues on the ECML between York and London? My son has just started at Durham University, so I can forsee needing to do a few trips over the next four years...

Assuming I have a walk up any permitted ticket between Epsom and Durham or Newcastle, I can presumably avoid issues like yesterday's by simply going via Leeds, but what if the issue is below Doncaster?

Would the ticket, in such an instance, be valid automatically through route mapping via Manchester?

Obviously if the issue is north of Colton Junction I'm stuffed anyway, but what routes are open to me without waiting for acceptance to be announced in cases where the ECML is blocked below York?

 

[dodecahedron67]

From a quick look, the only mapped routes are ECML/MML (via Leeds or Doncaster to Sheffield), and Joint Line via Lincoln but this is mostly useless.

If you want extra flexibility, a ticket from Halifax/Huddersfield/Brighouse - London will allow you to travel via all three of the ECML (from York or Leeds), MML and WCML (from Manchester or Warrington)

 

[jfollows]

London to Newcastle (which is part of the route Epsom-Newcastle) valid routes are shown on maps at https://rgpp.iblocks.co.uk/maps

• AA
• EY + YA
• KS + AA
• TY

Not Manchester, as @dodecahedron67 says.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

From a quick look, the only mapped routes are ECML/MML (via Leeds or Doncaster to Sheffield), and Joint Line via Lincoln but this is mostly useless.

If you want extra flexibility, a ticket from Halifax/Huddersfield/Brighouse - London will allow you to travel via all three of the ECML (from York or Leeds), MML and WCML (from Manchester or Warrington)

Thank you, though I'd be likely to be on an Epsom to Durham / Newcastle ticket or vice-versa.

London to Newcastle valid routes are shown on maps at https://rgpp.iblocks.co.uk/maps

• AA
• EY + YA
• KS + AA
• TY

Not Manchester, as @dodecahedron67 says.

OK thank you, so I could at least get to Sheffield and St Pancras if the delays looked like being as bad as they were yesterday... probably wouldn't save me any time compared to sitting at Colton Junction or somewhere for an hour, but at least I'd be keeping on the move and more likely to have space to actually sit down...?

 

[dodecahedron67]

Thank you, though I'd be likely to be on an Epsom to Durham / Newcastle ticket or vice-versa.

Just had a look and for the sake of about £1 extra if you buy an Epsom to Haltwhistle ticket this has validity WCML/MML/ECML

 

[Haywain]

Depending on the level of disruption, travelling via Manchester and the WCML might be an option if ticket acceptance is in place.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Sep 2025 ==

Just had a look and for the sake of about £1 extra if you buy an Epsom to Haltwhistle ticket this has validity WCML/MML/ECML

It's not going to help travelling south from Durham.

 

[dodecahedron67]

Depending on the level of disruption, travelling via Manchester and the WCML might be an option if ticket acceptance is in place.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Sep 2025 ==


It's not going to help travelling south from Durham.

Durham to Haltwhistle is £20 though, and then it would, albeit heading north to go south

 

[Haywain]

Durham to Haltwhistle is £20 though, and then it would, albeit heading north to go south

I can't see that paying £20 to spend around two hours getting from Durham to Carlisle before being able to head south is actually going to be beneficial.

 

[ainsworth74]

I can't see that paying £20 to spend around two hours getting from Durham to Carlisle before being able to head south is actually going to be beneficial.

Depends on how broken the ECML is

 

[racklam]

FWIW, in my experience when ECML disruption is really bad there is very often acceptance for both MML via Sheffield or WCML via Manchester. I've done both multiple times when travelling between Kings Cross and York.

 

[Tetchytyke]

From experience, if the disruption is really bad then there is usually ticket acceptance put in place with East Midlands Trains and Avanti.

It was a few years ago now, but in the past I have had acceptance via Manchester and via Carlisle on (what was) VWC.

The usual issue at Durham during disruption is being able to get somewhere to avail of the ticket acceptance.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Sep 2025 ==

Depends on how broken the ECML is

To be quite honest, if it was that bad I'd just book myself into a hotel in Durham and wait it out. If it really goes tits up they normally allow travel the following day.

I'm dying to try the Hotel Indigo. I spent far too much time inside that place when I worked for the university, it'll feel like a busman's holiday.

 

[35B]

I'm dying to try the Hotel Indigo. I spent far too much inside that place when I worked for the university, it'll feel like a busman's holiday.

We're digressing, but this Durham student parent has stayed a few nights at the Indigo, and it's always a treat to have an excuse to stay again - though I'll not be heartbroken to lose the Christmas Eve stays due to his nibs being on duty at the Cathedral.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Just had a look and for the sake of about £1 extra if you buy an Epsom to Haltwhistle ticket this has validity WCML/MML/ECML

Interesting... thank you.

It's not going to help travelling south from Durham.

Would it be valid Newcastle / Durham to Manchester via Leeds and hence down the WCML, though, if the ECML collapsed after I'd already left Newcastle or Durham southbound?

...or does the WCML validity only apply if I go Newcastle - Carlisle - Euston?

To be quite honest, if it was that bad I'd just book myself into a hotel in Durham and wait it out. If it really goes tits up they normally allow travel the following day.

I'd just checked out of the Royal Station where I'd been for two nights with my son while getting him to Durham university - which incidentally was in itself problematic on the Saturday getting his cases to the university and doing his checking in paperwork; we had to resort to a taxi because of a prolonged closure of the line at Durham following an unfortunate incident there half an hour before we were due to travel... and he had a strict time slot to check in by...

Didn't have a very smooth travelling weekend did I...?! We also had a minor ( 15 minute ) delay northbound on Friday because of a signal failure just below Doncaster...

 

[jfollows]

Haltwistle to London is valid via Carlisle or Newcastle, but if the latter the same routes as detailed in post #3 above are applicable, ie not Manchester etc.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Haltwistle to London is valid via Carlisle or Newcastle, but if the latter the same routes as detailed in post #3 above are applicable, ie not Manchester etc.

Thank you - so really with that ticket I'd be paying the extra £1 as a precaution against the ECML falling over before I set off south? Once I've set off, it makes no difference?

 

[Egg Centric]

The usual issue at Durham during disruption is being able to get somewhere to avail of the ticket acceptance.

Re this - I work from home about 2/3 of the time, live close to Durham, and if I can fit it in then I don't mind giving "known" forum users like @Peter Mugridge a lift somewhere (within reason!) - feel free to DM during disruption if out of options.

I take the WCML quite a bit myself to get south (leaving from Hexham, Corbridge, or Stocksfield as my wont takes me) as it often works out quite nicely for my main use case (travel to Watford).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Re this - I work from home about 2/3 of the time, live close to Durham, and if I can fit it in then I don't mind giving "known" forum users like @Peter Mugridge a lift somewhere (within reason!) - feel free to DM during disruption if out of options.

Thank you; hopefully the circumstances won't arise but you do raise a good point in that once someone is between Newcastle and York, there aren't really any alternatives are there?

 

[Haywain]

once someone is between Newcastle and York, there aren't really any alternatives are there?

There's no alternative between Northallerton and York - the coast route is an alternative north of Northallerton.

 

[Egg Centric]

There's no alternative between Northallerton and York - the coast route is an alternative north of Northallerton.

Not to Durham or Chester-le-Street it's not! (in practice anyway, even if theoretically things could be routed to head back down from Newcastle)

 

[Haywain]

Not to Durham or Chester-le-Street it's not! (in practice anyway, even if theoretically things could be routed to head back down from Newcastle)

It's really not that difficult to get across to Sunderland from Durham.

 

[35B]

It’s a while since I was doing it, but when I weekly commuted to Newcastle, I had very few service collapses - and this was when the OHL was really flaky.

Too many journeys triggered delay repay, but it was very rare that things went properly belly up.