Plans to cut trains between Durham and Edinburgh

There will be fewer direct services between Durham and Edinburgh after changes are made

Durham could lose almost half of its direct train services to Edinburgh if timetable changes are approved.

Currently, about 29 services travel on a weekday between the city and the Scottish capital, but that could drop to 17 if new timings go ahead.

The changes also include the loss of a peak time LNER service, which is popular with commuters to Newcastle.

In a joint statement, LNER and Network Rail said while timetable changes "may not satisfy everyone", they would benefit "the greatest number of customers across the north".

Currently about 15 LNER services to Edinburgh call at Durham every day, approximately one every hour.

Under the plans the majority of these would be removed, although the BBC understands three will still stop at the city at 06:33, 07:49 and 22:49.

Peter Walker, from rail user group North East Coastliners, said the situation needed "urgent attention and action".

"Each hour's other service will call at Peterborough, Newark North Gate, Doncaster, York and Darlington but not Durham, whereas its equivalent in the current timetable does," Mr Walker said.

"As a result, Durham will, for most of the operating day, have no mainline LNER services to further north than Newcastle."

LNER and Network Rail say the timetable changes will bring more seats and faster services

As part of the proposals, weekday services to London will increase from 19 to 22, and 21 trains will travel to Birmingham and Sheffield, up from 18.

"We recognise that timetable changes may not satisfy everyone, however the planned changes can be introduced reliably and will bring an additional six million seats on LNER services per year, provide faster services, and be of benefit to the greatest number of customers across the north," a spokesperson on behalf of LNER and Network Rail said.

The timetables are due to be finalised in the summer, with changes made from December.

Weekday services to Newcastle will remain about the same at 63, slightly down from 66 currently.

However, some commuters have been concerned about the removal of a peak time LNER service to Edinburgh, which calls at Durham at 08:22 and arrives in Newcastle just after 08:30.

It means there will be only two trains leaving the city for Newcastle between 08:00 and 09:00, with likely a total of seven carriages between them.

There will be more services between Durham and London following the changes

Commuter Matthew Foskett has been breaking down the planned timetable changes and trying to raise awareness among passengers.

Mr Foskett, who travels to his workplace in Newcastle by train at least two days a week, hopes some of the proposals could be reconsidered.

He said under the new plans there would be a 47-minute gap between arrivals in Newcastle almost every hour, "which would really affect people".

"If the service gets worse, you'll lose passengers, and we all know how busy the roads are, you don't want more people driving into Newcastle," he said.

"Sometimes I cycle to Newcastle, that takes an hour and 15 minutes. If there's a 45-minute gap in the trains and it takes 15 minutes on the train, it gets quite close, time wise.

"I might as well cycle rather than getting the train, which is crazy."

A spokesperson on behalf of LNER and Network Rail said they had worked closely with other rail operators to ensure "strong local and national connectivity" in the planned timetable.