The beachy English seaside town that is getting a new direct train service from London

Soon Londoners will have access to a brand new summer holiday destination, because plans have been revealed for a new train directly linking the capital to a seaside town way up in County Durham. 

The train, operated by Grand Central, will link King’s Cross with Seaham, a seaside town known for its rugged, beautiful beaches and maritime history. The town is also home to a whopping 10 chippies, so come hungry. 

Beginning from December 2025, this will be Seaham’s first ever direct rail connection with the Big Smoke. The Seaham stop will be added to Grand Central’s service from King’s Cross to Sunderland, which currently goes via Peterborough, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe and Hartelpool. The service is one of several new routes recently confirmed on the East Coast Mainline.

Some of the top things to do at the harbour town are seeing its sweeping coastline, which is known to be an ideal spot for sea glass hunting, walking the coast path to Nose’s Point, and visiting the East Durham Heritage & Lifeboat Centre, or perhaps the Mole Sanctuary, if that’s your thing. 

Grahame Morris, the MP for Easington said: ‘I'm delighted to share that the Office of Rail and Road has confirmed that Grand Central Trains will begin stopping at Seaham Station from December 2025 to December 2026.

‘[There will be] four stopping services per day in each direction.’

He added: ‘Although the approval is currently for a one-year period using five-car trains, I'm confident that these services will be well-used by residents across our community.

‘This means that our constituency will now have direct rail links to York and London, alongside increased capacity to local destinations such as Sunderland and Hartlepool.’

The Seaham train is one of a few new rail services that will link London with the north and Scotland coming later this year. Read about the new services arriving at Hull, Newcastle and Glasgow here. 

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