Middlesbrough railway station in the context of Redcar Central railway station

Darlington railway station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line, serving the town of Darlington in County Durham, England. It is 232 miles 50 chains (232.63 miles; 374.37 kilometres) north of London King's Cross. It is situated between Northallerton to the south and Durham to the north. Its three-letter station code is DAR.

The station is well served, because it is an important stop for main line services, with trains operated by London North Eastern Railway, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express. It is also the interchange for Northern Trains services to Bishop Auckland, Middlesbrough and Saltburn.

Sunderland is a railway and metro station in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Middlesbrough and Newcastle, via Hartlepool. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. Since 31 March 2002, the station has also been served by the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line.

Northallerton railway station is on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) serving the market town of Northallerton in North Yorkshire, England. It is between Thirsk to the south and Darlington to the north. It is also a junction, with the line to Eaglescliffe and Middlesbrough diverging from the ECML. Its three-letter station code is NTR. The station is managed by TransPennine Express and also served by Grand Central and London North Eastern Railway trains. It is on one of the fastest parts of the ECML, and London North Eastern Railway, Lumo and CrossCountry express services pass through the station at speeds of up to 125 mph (200 km/h).

The Durham Coast Line is an approximately 39.5-mile (63.6 km) railway line running between Newcastle and Middlesbrough in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the line; it provides an important diversionary route at times when the East Coast Main Line is closed. Light rail services of the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line also operate over the same tracks between a junction just south of Sunderland station and Pelaw Junction (just east of Pelaw Metro station).

The line developed from several small competing independent railway companies during the first half of the 19th century which ultimately came under the control of the North Eastern Railway. It was under their direction that these lines were gradually linked together to eventually create the Durham Coast Line in 1905.

Hartlepool is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. The station serves the port town of Hartlepool, in County Durham, England; it is situated 18 miles 5 chains (29 km) south-east of Sunderland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.