Six weekends of major engineering work are set to take place as upgrades are made at Darlington station and across the North East.
Journeys on the East Coast Main Line will be affected while buses replace trains between Darlington / Bishop Auckland and Saltburn / Middlesbrough.
A 120-tonne crane will lift steelwork over the East Coast Main Line as work continues on the £140m regeneration of Darlington station. The line will be closed in both directions for six consecutive weekends from Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 February.
Passengers are being advised to check all parts of their journeys before travelling.
Over the weekend of 22-23 February the new enclosed, step-free footbridge will be lifted into place over the two new platforms at Darlington station. Engineers will also complete other work at the station, including on overhead lines, cables and equipment beside the railway.
Northern trains between Saltburn / Middlesbrough and Darlington / Bishop Auckland will start / terminate at Eaglescliffe.
Rail replacement buses will run between Eaglescliffe and Darlington / Bishop Auckland.
Luke Durston, Network Rail principal programme sponsor, said: “We’ve reached a crucial stage in this transformational project which will deliver a significantly upgraded Darlington railway station.
“The installation of the footbridge will mark an important and visually striking milestone as we provide major improvements for passengers well into the future, while also preserving the building’s past.
“We’re sorry to passengers and residents who may be affected during this phase, but we are making every effort to minimise disruption throughout the project by carrying out as much work as possible while the line is closed.”
During the six weekends (8-9 February to 15-16 March), LNER will operate a reduced service of one train per hour in each direction between London King’s Cross and Newcastle on a diversionary route, with all other services starting/terminating at York and Newcastle and rail replacement buses in between.
When the scheme is complete Darlington station will have two new platforms and a 600-space multi-storey car park with new cycle lanes and bus shelters also provided.