Train operator Northern has advised people to ‘check before you travel’ over Easter.

Engineering work is scheduled over the bank holiday weekend, meaning there will be disruption to services between Friday, March 29 and Monday, April 1.

Trains will still be running on Easter Sunday and the two bank holidays, but some journeys may take longer than usual and services may finish earlier in the day. Some routes have reduced services and a small number are closed completely.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer, said:

“Easter has long-been a period when essential engineering work is carried out as there are fewer customers travelling than normal.

“We do appreciate, however, that this still causes disruption for those who are on the move and we work closely with Network Rail to ensure the impact is kept to a minimum and alternative transport is provided wherever possible.

“During periods of disruption, customers are always advised to ‘check before you travel’ and to allow extra time for their journeys.”

Last week, the train driver union, ASLEF, announced that strikes that will take place the week after Easter. Walk outs are planned between Friday April 5 and Monday April 8.

Northern services will be impacted by this action on Saturday April  6. More information is due to be released closer to the time.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with over 500 stations across the North of England including Harrogate, Knaresborough and Starbeck.

For more information about travelling over the Easter bank holiday weekend, click here.

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There will be no trains running between Harrogate and London King’s Cross over the next two weekends.

It comes after Northern Rail announced four days of engineering work on the billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme.

LNER, which runs between London King’s Cross and the north east, is among the lines affected.

It will be operating a reduced service starting and terminating at Grantham, with hourly trains running between Leeds and Grantham over the two weekends.

From Grantham, people can get a rail replacement bus to Corby, where they will connect with other operators’ services to and from London St Pancras.

The disruption will be in place from Saturday, January 6 to Sunday, January 7, and Saturday, January 13, to Sunday, January 14.

LNER said there are no planned changes to the regular weekday schedule.

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The introduction of parking charges at Weeton Station is causing concern about the impact on nearby roads.

Weeton is one of 10 stations where Northern Railway announced new parking charges this week.

Motorists now have to pay 50p for up to two hours or £2 per day between 8am and 4pm to park at the station.

This is prompting some drivers to park on streets near the station to avoid the charge.

David Chalmers, the chairman of Weeton Parish Council, said:

“A couple of people have highlighted to the parish council concerns over the likely impact the recent introduction of charges to park at Weeton station will have on the roads in the immediate area.

“Disappointingly Northern Rail did not notify us of the pending changes although given the lack of constructive engagement on other matters such as penalty fares I am unsurprised.”

A Northern spokesperson said:

“We consulted North Yorkshire County Council and rail officers in advance of charges going in and we also advised customers about the changes in advance by using posters at the station, our website and on the National Rail website.

“We’re introducing charges at these locations to ensure that our car parking facilities remain available for rail users only, as well as to align these stations with our other locations that saw the introduction of charges in 2022.”

The spokesperson also said the increase was introduced by the government, not Northern.

Mr Chalmers also said the extra traffic parked on streets could make it difficult for emergency services vehicles to get around the village, and faded yellow lines on the road further exacerbated problems.

He said:

“I am aware that a couple of weeks ago there were access issues for an oil tanker, a vehicle which is of similar size to a fire engine.

“This has been raised to North Yorkshire Council on multiple occasions without any meaningful feedback on whether they plan to have the lines repainted.”

Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said:

“The local highways team are aware of the issue and there is an order in place to refresh the yellow lining 55 metres either side of the carriageway.

“We will be liaising with the parish council and local councillors regarding the works and will review all communications about this issue.”

Weeton is situated on the line between Harrogate and Leeds.

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Parking charges will be introduced at Weeton Station in a fortnight’s time.

Northern Railway has announced it is one of 10 station where charges are being brought in.

From Monday, December 11, motorists will have to pay £2 per day between 8am and 4pm on their phones to park at Weeton.

Northern said the charges would “ensure car parking facilities remain available for rail users only” but the move has sparked fears about the impact on parking in the village.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said:

“There is already a problem locally with how inconsiderately rail users park on the roads around the station.

“This will only make it worse.”

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Northern said in a statement:

“We know that the introduction of charges might be unwelcome news for some customers and colleagues, and we’re committed to keeping our car park arrangements under review to ensure they meet the needs of colleagues and customers alike.”

Northern said, in line with the approach taken by councils and parking companies, the machines will be cashless.

It means people will not be able to pay for parking through the ticket offices or onboard any of the services; they will have to pay via phone, smartphone or app.

None of the other rail stations in the north of England where parking charges are being introduced on December 10 are in the Harrogate district.

The other locations include Poppleton, Buckshaw Parkway and Snaith.

But motorists already have to pay to park at many local stations. For instance, Harrogate charges £4 per day and Pannal charges £3 per day.