(19 Jun 2022, 11:51 am)omnicity4659 wrote OLR removed any reference of it from the Northern website either last year or in 2020. I'd imagine that the only way of getting official confirmation would be through FoI.

My understanding is that “Northern Connect” was part of the Arriva franchise bid, and as a name disappeared when the TOC was taken over by the OLR.
With TPE and XC both only running 1 tph north of York there are probably paths for a Middlesbrough-Stillington - Ferryhill- Durham - Newcastle service