ALMOST three miles of 50 year old railway tracks are receiving a £3.2 million upgrade to bring more on-time journeys through Scarborough.

Rails and wooden sleepers between Willerby Carr and Seamer, which haven't had any major work for around 50 years, will be replaced with more resilient steel sleepers and new rails.

This will allow for more reliable journeys and reduce the need for further maintenance work in the future.

While this work is being done, Network Rail will renew signallling equipment - the traffic lights of the railway - around Seamer

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The works will take place from Tuesday, January 1 to Saturday, February 4, with the two projects running alongside to minimise disruption to passengers.

Buses will replace the trains between Malton and Scarborough so journeys will take longer than usual.

Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express said: "The modernisation of these tracks will make a big difference to our customers and provide more reliable journeys and ensure the long-term resilience of the route.

“I’d like to thank our customers in advance for their patience during the work and urge them to check before they travel to understand the options for their journey.”

The planned industrial action will also impact services on February 1 and 3.