LNER to scrap daily route from Sunderland to London in 'bitter blow' for city

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has made the "difficult decision" to scrap its route from Sunderland to London, citing low passenger numbers and a lack of trains.

The company has confirmed that the daily service from Sunderland to London King's Cross will be withdrawn in December this year, with trains instead starting from Newcastle Central Station. The decision was made following a consultation carried out by LNER in 2021, which said the service had low passenger numbers between Newcastle and Sunderland since it was introduced by Virgin Trains East Coast in 2015, BBC News reports.

Trains will still be available from Sunderland to London King's Cross via Grand Central. Currently, the LNER service between the two cities departs from Sunderland at 5:39am, and a return train arrives back at 11:22pm - with critics saying that the unpopular journey times are the reason behind low passenger numbers.

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The plans have sparked an outcry among the city's political figures. Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson said she has written to LNER to express her "disappointment" with the decision, and confirmed via her Facebook page that she will be meeting with the company in the coming days along with other Sunderland MPs to "urge them to reconsider this short-sighted change".

The MP's letter to LNER read: "As I outlined in my last meeting with representatives from LNER regarding the then-proposals, this change is wrong, unbalanced and short-sighted, not least with the recent redevelopment of Sunderland station. Sunderland must maintain a LNER service on the East Coast Mainline for our community to have the modern, well-connected transport infrastructure we deserve."

Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems on Sunderland City Council Councillor Heather Fagan said: "This is a bitter blow for the city at a time when we need more direct train services to and from London from LNER, not fewer.

"The Government must now intervene to make sure that LNER, which is publicly-owned, retains its existing daily direct service and introduces more throughout the day at a range of times to improve the number of people using them."

The councillor added: "The current LNER services leave Sunderland very early in the morning and leave Kings Cross very late in the evening. Adding more LNER direct trains at different times would undoubtedly prove more popular and would be a lifeline for the city at a time when people cannot rely on Grand Central services which are very regularly cancelled or don't turn up."

A spokesperson for LNER said: "The once daily services in each direction, outside of peak hours, typically see substantially fewer customers onboard as travel patterns have shifted in recent years from business to leisure. LNER recognises the importance of rail services for passengers, and that the planned reduction from December 2024 may raise concerns for people affected.

"Sunderland will continue to have good connectivity with LNER services via Northern Trains and the Tyne and Wear Metro, as well as direct London services operated by Grand Central - in 2022 Grand Central increased its Sunderland-London services by one more service per day from five to six."