A sign for 'Platform 3' has been installed at Middlesbrough railway station, despite construction not expected to begin until 2027 and completion delayed to 2028. The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) has faced funding issues, pushing back the original target of December 2022.
The third platform is intended to increase capacity and reliability for regional trains, including more direct services to London. Currently, only one LNER train per day runs each way between Middlesbrough and London King's Cross, taking just over three hours. TVCA aims to increase this to one service every two hours.
TVCA confirmed that design work is ongoing, and they are collaborating with Network Rail on costs and programme. The majority of funding comes from a government pot allocated for 2027/28 to 2031/32. TVCA has received clarity that from April 2026, they can consolidate transport funding into one pot, providing more flexibility.
A TVCA spokesman said: 'More direct services to London remains a key aim. Works to platform three will boost capacity on the entire Tees Valley rail network.' LNER added that additional services would require new trains and government and industry approval for a new timetable.
The station has a history of signage issues, including a famous 1985 sign that misspelled Middlesbrough as 'Middlesborough'. Another sign previously called for London services by 2020.
