Commuters are being warned of delays as further improvement work on a town's railway station begins.

Journeys between York and Newcastle will be affected from 29 November to 1 December, when Darlington station's new signalling system is brought into use, Network Rail said.

The station was due to open in December 2025, but it has now been pushed back until spring 2026.

Labour Darlington MP Lola McEvoy said: "We're the home of the railways so it's not without irony that we can't seem get this built properly."

Network Rail said the new signalling system would be key in managing trains, cutting delays and enabling capacity for more services in the future. The work is part of an £140m upgrade which will include two new platforms on the station's eastern side to ensure better connectivity along the East Coast Main Line and the region.

McEvoy said: "It's a big job, hopefully it will transform our rail network but ultimately they need to get a move on. The delays aren't what anybody wants to hear."

Passengers should check their journey details before travelling during the weekend work:
- CrossCountry will have rail replacement buses running between York and Newcastle, calling at Darlington and Durham
- LNER will operate one train an hour between York and Newcastle on a diversion route, resulting in no LNER services between Darlington and Durham
- Northern will provide rail replacement buses between Eaglescliffe and Bishop Auckland and between Darlington and Newcastle via Durham and Chester-le-Street.
- TransPennine Express will have rail replacement buses between York and Newcastle, calling at Darlington, Durham and Chester-le-Street

Commuters are being warned of delays as further improvement work on a town's railway station begins.