London to Durham train with LNER

Trains from London to Durham

Trains from London to Durham are frequent and depart daily, with an average of 35 journeys a day during the week, around 10 journeys on Saturdays and up to about 17 on Sundays. There are also two to three late-night trains available on weeknights and one on Sunday evenings, which have slightly longer journeys, lasting from 3h 14min to 3h 23min without changes and up to about 4h 11min with changes.

London to Durham Train Time: Daily Departures

Trains from London to Durham frequently depart, with regularly scheduled trains planned throughout the day. During the week, there's an average of 35 journeys a day, with one to three trains available per hour. The first train departs around 06:15, and the last at around 22:00. Saturdays have an average of 10 trains, with the first train departing at around 06:00 and the last at around 19:13. On Sundays, there's around 17 journeys a day, with the first train leaving at roughly 09:36 and the last at 20:36.

How long is the journey by train from London to Durham?

Trains offered during the week have an average duration of 2h 48min to 4h 11min, depending on the number of changes and the time spent during those changes. Saturdays have similar journey durations as weekday travel; however, the average duration is more prolonged on Sundays, from around 3h 57min to 4h 45min. If your journey has changes, it can affect the total duration of your train, as it includes the time spent during your changeover.

Trains from London to Durham: example of modern architechture of London. Source: Shutterstock

What are the departure and arrival stations for trains from London to Durham?

Departure train station: When travelling from London to Newcastle by train, you will depart from London King's Cross Station. It’s located centrally in the city and can be accessed by car, taxi, bicycle, trains, bus and the London Underground. To access the station by inner-city public transport, there are bus stops on Euston Road and on York Way. To access the station by the London Underground, you can use the lines Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern (Bank Branch), Piccadilly or Victoria. The entrance to the metro is within the station, on Euston Road. The station provides facilities such as information points, restrooms, baby-changing areas, showers, cash points, telephones, lost property, luggage storage, trolleys, photo booths and Wi-Fi. There are several places to buy food, drinks and snacks.

Arrival train station: All trains from London arrive at Durham Station, which is centrally located in the heart of Durham. The railway station is accessible by car, taxi, bicycle and bus. The station has a car park, taxi rank and bicycle stand and provides facilities such as waiting rooms, restrooms, cash points, a post box, payphones, trolleys, baby-changing rooms, accessible toilets and refreshments.

Which train companies travel from London to Durham?

Three train companies provide train travel to Durham from London: London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Grand Central and First Hull Trains. LNER provides the most frequent trains, with trains generally departing at least once an hour, every day of the week. Grand Central closely follows LNER, with multiple trains a day; however, First Hull Trains only occur twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays only.

Night trains London

This train route offers night trains from London to Durham. These trains depart after 21:00 and have on average two to three journeys available during the weeknights and one on Sunday evenings. The night trains offer both direct trains and trains with changes. If your journey has changeovers, the total duration can be around 4h 11min. Without changes, the journey can be from 3h 14min to 3h 22min. The changes offered on this route are located in Doncaster.

London North Eastern Railway trains from London to Durham

Trains from London to Durham with London North Eastern Railway offer both indirect and direct routes, with daily trains. These journeys are available with several high-speed trains in the morning, afternoon and evening, offering one to two journeys per hour, taking between 2h 52min and 4h 44min. During the evening, from 21:00 onwards, there are night journeys, usually without transfers. These trains are slightly longer, without stops, taking from 3h 16min to 3h 22min.

Grand Central trains from London to Durham

Trains from London to Newcastle with Grand Central offer an average of three to four services a day on weekdays and weekends. The journey has one change, in York, Doncaster or Northallerton, before proceeding to Durham. The journeys have an average length of 2h 48min to 4h 41min, depending on time spent during your changeover.

First Hull Trains trains from London to Durham

Trains from London to Newcastle with First Hill Trains offer an average of two journeys a day every Saturday and Sunday. The trains run once in the morning and once in the afternoon. This service is indirect, with changes in Doncaster. The journeys have an average length of 4h 20min to 4h 50min, greatly depending on time spent during your changeover.

Trains from London to Durham: Sustainability travel

When you travel by train from London to Durham, you are contributing to a cleaner and greener travelling option. Taking a car by yourself generates a great deal more greenhouse gases, about 178 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometre. If you rideshare a car with three people, you contribute 59.3 grams of CO2e per kilometre. Even long-distance coaches contribute 29.5 grams of CO2e per kilometre. On a train, you contribute a mere 6.1 grams per kilometre. Trains are the most sustainable form of public transportation, especially for long-distance commutes. We also provide a sustainable option by giving you the choice of having a mobile ticket connected to your Omio account. To learn more about how trains are a sustainable travel choice, visit Omio Trains.

Train London to Durham: Services on Board

Journeys with LNER offer you two classes: standard and first class. In both, you have three fare types: advance single, super off-peak single and anytime single. Advance single is non refundable and semi exchangeable; super off-peak single and anytime single are semi refundable and fully exchangeable. Grand Central offers two classes, standard and first class, and three fare types: In standard, you have advance single and anytime single. In first class, you can choose between off-peak single and anytime single. First Hull Trains provides two classes, standard and first class, with similar fare types. All companies allow you to bring luggage without restrictions, and you may bring both folding and non-folding bikes on the train (in bicycle sections) and up to two domestic pets on a lead or in an enclosed basket. Non-folding bikes are only allowed outside of peak hours, and accessibility services are available with all companies.

How to find cheap train tickets from London to Durham?

There are a few possibilities when looking for cheap train tickets from London to Durham. To save money, it's a good idea to organise your journey ahead of time. You can generally get tickets at a reduced price if you book ahead of time rather than waiting until the last minute. Having a flexible schedule is another strategy to save money on your trip. Looking for inexpensive times and dates, such as early mornings or late at night, or weekdays rather than weekends, is one way to do this. Another cost-effective alternative is to take a slower train or one with multiple connections. All of these are viable options for saving money on train tickets. Visit our online magazine, The Window Seat, for more travel advice.

Trains from London to Durham: cathdral in Durham. Source: Shutterstock

To Durham by train—travel tips

The city of Durham is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne, in northeast England. The city is well known for its Norman 11th-century cathedral and castle. The castle has never been breached in its 900-year history. Since 1832, Durham University has called this building home. The ultimate resting places of Saint Cuthbert and Saint Bede the Venerable are both in Durham Cathedral. UNESCO has designated the castle and church as World Heritage sites. The city itself is surrounded by the River Wear, providing natural scenery, with lush vegetation, bridges and small rowboats. The city is a quintessential British town, lined with cobbled streets, botanic gardens, interesting restaurants, charming pubs and cultural history.

• Durham Museum
• High Force Waterfall
• Durham Riverside Walk
• Beamish Museum
• The Botanic Garden
• Killhope Lead Mining Museum
• Hardwick Park
• Browns Rowing Boats
• Durham University Oriental Museum
• Auckland Castle