Direct Manchester Saltburn train plan shelved

Plans for a direct train to run from Manchester to Saltburn will not go ahead because of timetable problems, transport chiefs have revealed.

Last year Transport for the North (TfN) said the TransPennine Express route would go direct to East Cleveland.

But now officers at the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) have announced the service will only run as far as Redcar.

Steve Payne, of the TVCA, said the service would be too costly.

A TransPennine Express service currently runs from Middlesbrough to Manchester Airport.

Existing franchise

Mr Payne said: "It's been a major challenge to build in extra time at both the Manchester Airport end and the Middlesbrough end to ensure that the timetable can be operated reliably. 

"The turnarounds were too tight in the existing franchise so they were not able to make those commitments to Saltburn.

"What this means is there isn't now the slack to run on to Saltburn without significant extra cost - it would require an additional train."

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen told the Local Democracy Service he would continue to campaign for the link to Saltburn giving travellers better access to York, Leeds and Manchester.