Signal green for reopening of rail passenger line - 60 years on
The reopening of a railway line to passengers that reverses a Beeching cut of 60 years ago will take place in south-east Northumberland very soon. By the time you read this the Northumberland line, from Ashington to Northumberland Park, where it joins the Metro system, may have opened to passenger services, although at first only half of the six stations will be in operation.
It has been confirmed that stations at Blyth Bebside, Bedlington and Northumberland Park will open later than those at Seaton Delaval, Ashington and Newsham. The exact timescale for the remaining stations to be up and running is unknown, but is expected to be in 2025.
The reopening represents a qualified triumph for the rail pressure group Senrug (South East Northumberland Rail User Group), which had campaigned for the new line – running on existing freight tracks - to be further extended to Woodhorn and Newbiggin. Northumberland county council has not ruled out such an extension in the future.
Fares on the line will start from £1, and the maximum off-peak single fare (for the full line from Ashington to Newcastle) will be less than £3. However, it is not quite a return to the pre-Beeching glory days. None of the stations will be staffed, so they will not have ticket offices, and only ‘bus shelter’ protection from the weather.
Senrug’s ambitions do not end with the Northumberland line. It would like to see the Carlisle-Newcastle-Morpeth local service provided by Northern Trains extended beyond Morpeth, along existing freight tracks, to a new station at Choppington (where the line crosses the A1068 road) and then to Bedlington, connecting with Newcastle-Ashington trains on the Northumberland line.
Other campaign groups have called for a regular stopping service from Berwick, calling at intermediate station along the East Coast Main Line that at present only see a couple of stopping trains each day, to link up with the Northumberland line via Bedlington.
Meanwhile there has been serious talk of timetable changes that would reduce the number of trains stopping at Morpeth, and also end the Morpeth to Carlisle through service. Those changes have been postponed for now. Maybe because there is a general election in the offing?
Greg Freeman