TransPennine Express in the context of Inter-city rail in the United Kingdom

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.

The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line is a main railway route which connects the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, by means of their respective sections of the West Coast Main Line (WCML).

Along with the Shotts line, the Falkirk line, and the Helensburgh to Edinburgh route via Airdrie and Bathgate, the line is one of four direct electrified rail links between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and is frequently used by passenger and freight traffic. Passenger services are operated by ScotRail, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express with freight services operated by DB Cargo, Freightliner and Direct Rail Services.

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. When additional carriages are coupled on, their controls are connected through and a single driver can control every engine in the train. This also allows the driver to drive from a cab at either end, simplifying reversing. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are generally regarded as DMUs for most operations, at least with smaller trains.

Thirsk railway station is on the East Coast Main Line and serves the market town of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England. It is situated between York to the south and Northallerton to the north. Its three-letter station code is THI. The station is about 2 miles (3 km) outside of Thirsk town centre and is actually on the edge of the village of Carlton Miniott.

There are four tracks, but only the outer two have platforms; the platform faces serving the innermost pair of tracks were removed in the 1970s in preparation for higher-speed main line running using InterCity 125 trains. The station is operated by TransPennine Express. Other train services are provided by the open-access operator Grand Central.

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).

Middlesbrough is a railway station on the Durham Coast, Esk Valley and Tees Valley lines. The station serves the town of Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by TransPennine Express. Direct destinations include Darlington, Redcar Central, Saltburn, Sunderland, Newcastle, York and Manchester Airport. There is also direct service to London Kings Cross once per weekday.

According to the Office of Rail and Road statistics, Middlesbrough station is the fourth busiest in the North East region, with 1,466,884 total entries and exits (2023–24 period).