Aberdeen. TransPennine Express run two trains per hour in each direction. Northbound; one service runs to Newcastle with a second extending to Edinburgh Waverley. Southbound; one service runs to via York, , , and with the second running to via the Ordsall Chord. There is also one train early morning service to via . Northern run their Tees Valley line trains twice hourly to , Redcar's stations and (hourly on Sundays), whilst the branch has a service every hour (including Sundays). The company also operates two Sundays-only direct trains to/from and . Platforms Darlington railway station has five main platforms: Platform 1: This is the main southbound platform, with, in order of frequency, London North Eastern Railway services to York and London King's Cross, CrossCountry services to Reading and Southampton or Birmingham and Plymouth, via York and Leeds, TransPennine Express services to Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport or Liverpool Lime Street, via York and Leeds, and Northern services to Saltburn via Middlesbrough, from Bishop Auckland. Platforms 2 and 3: These platforms are south-facing bays used exclusively by Northern services terminating at Darlington from Saltburn and Middlesbrough. Platform 2 is used most frequently. TransPennine Express trains also terminate in Platforms 2 & 3 when there are delays in order to allow them to run their southbound services back on time. Platform 4: This is the main northbound platform, with, in order of frequency, London North Eastern Railway services to Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow, CrossCountry services to Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow, TransPennine Express services to Newcastle and Northern services to Bishop Auckland. Platform 4a: This is a southern extension of platform four catering for trains waiting at Darlington such that they can be bypassed by trains stopping at platform 4. It is the only platform that is not under the station roof. It is used predominantly by Northern services for Bishop Auckland. Since the introduction of Class 802, TransPennine Express will use Platform 4a if they need to terminate early whilst using one of these trains due to Platform 2 & 3 not being electrified. Future Six platforms As part of the Tees Valley Metro, two new platforms were to be built on the eastern edge of the main station. There were to be a total of four trains per hour, to and Saltburn via the Tees Valley Line, and trains would not have to cross the East Coast Main Line when