Northumberland Line reopening: progress updates

[Snow1964]

Bebside opening date Sunday 19th October

The fourth station to be completed on the Northumberland Line will open on Sunday, October 19th.

Since the opening of the line in December 2024 the project has seen big benefits not just in terms of travel, but also investment, educational and job opportunities, as well as enhanced public transport connectivity across the wider region.

In its first eight months of service alone, with stations open in Ashington, Seaton Delaval and Newsham, there were well over 500,000 passenger journeys.

Now Bebside Station in Blyth will remove its barriers and welcome passengers from Sunday, October 19th, allowing people to travel to Newcastle in just 29 minutes.

The final remaining two stations at Bedlington and Northumberland Park in North Tyneside are scheduled to open in early 2026.

Bebside Station opening date confirmed | Northumberland County Council

www.northumberland.gov.uk

 

[ainsworth74]

IS THERE ANY FURTHER UPDATES ON BEBSIDE OPENING

There's no need to shout we can read you clearly!

 

[dave1]

That is good news that there is now a firm date

 

[kez19]

Not too sure if this is the right thread but I did notice, the service I used on return to Newcastle today the train was ending up to Carlisle? (It was unannounced if I’m honest but it was Platform 8 towards Carlisle it terminated to restart, it was timetabled at Newcastle that’s how I thought to ask). Are they interworking with the new line?

I enjoyed the scenery of it but didn’t realise that the line seems to go single and double? (Up/down in sections)

 

[Anvil1984]

Not too sure if this is the right thread but I did notice, the service I used on return to Newcastle today the train was ending up to Carlisle? (It was unannounced if I’m honest but it was Platform 8 towards Carlisle it terminated to restart, it was timetabled at Newcastle that’s how I thought to ask). Are they interworking with the new line?

I enjoyed the scenery of it but didn’t realise that the line seems to go single and double? (Up/down in sections)

No interworking, just a one off. There were several set swaps happening at the time this being one of them

 

[kez19]

No interworking, just a one off. There were several set swaps happening at the time this being one of them

Aah thank you for update (not local here lol), probably digging a hole here but would it work if it was the case?

 

[swt_passenger]

I was looking at Google maps a few weeks ago, and noticed the location of Blyth Bebside was wrong, ie the station was shown at the level crossing. So I proposed an edit using the ‘location has moved‘ reason, and suggested putting the markers at the station footbridge position. They have both a ‘station’ symbol, and a ‘BR arrows’ symbol on their map.

Edit has been rejected, reason not stated. Weird.

 

[takno]

I was looking at Google maps a few weeks ago, and noticed the location of Blyth Bebside was wrong, ie the station was shown at the level crossing. So I proposed an edit using the ‘location has moved‘ reason, and suggested putting the markers at the station footbridge position. They have both a ‘station’ symbol, and a ‘BR arrows’ symbol on their map.

Edit has been rejected, reason not stated. Weird.

I suspect that for public transport infrastructure they just expect to take information from official channels, and they've just placed it based on the coordinates in the Naptan dataset. Edits by the general public really need checking in order to prevent mistakes, and Google don't like to spend any money on anything.

 

[swt_passenger]

I suspect that for public transport infrastructure they just expect to take information from official channels, and they've just placed it based on the coordinates in the Naptan dataset. Edits by the general public really need checking in order to prevent mistakes, and Google don't like to spend any money on anything.

I thought my proposed location having a brand new station visible under it might have been a good enough hint, but maybe they don’t bother looking at their own satellite view…

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Wikipedia have quite a well-detailed Northumberland Line RDT.

 

[melon68]

I thought my proposed location having a brand new station visible under it might have been a good enough hint, but maybe they don’t bother looking at their own satellite view…

Is it in the right spot on Open Street Map? I found it to be accurately predicting the locations last year.....

 

[swt_passenger]

Is it in the right spot on Open Street Map? I found it to be accurately predicting the locations last year.....

I’d say yes, at least it’s got the platforms and footbridge exactly right. I think the ‘big caption’ is a bit north of where I’d place it, but that’s a minor point.

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

Blyth Bebside opened today with little fanfare but locals are overwhelmingly positive.

An off peak single is £2.10 and you’re in Newcastle City Centre in less than 30 minutes.

 

[duffield]

Blyth Bebside opened today with little fanfare but locals are overwhelmingly positive.

An off peak single is £2.10 and you’re in Newcastle City Centre in less than 30 minutes.

How does that compare with the bus pricewise and timewise? (I'm guessing favourably!)

 

[Gwr12345]

How does that compare with the bus pricewise and timewise? (I'm guessing favourably!)

50-60 mins in the bus, £2.50

 

[nerdowell]

Four Car Trains during Peak Hours for Northumberland Line

Northumberland Line to get extra peak-time carriages

The line, between Ashington and Newcastle, has carried 700,000 people since December, bosses say.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[The exile]

15 miles for £2.10 - I'm not surprised it's popular!

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

15 miles for £2.10 - I'm not surprised it's popular!

And free parking!

 

[swt_passenger]

Four Car Trains during Peak Hours for Northumberland Line

Northumberland Line to get extra peak-time carriages

The line, between Ashington and Newcastle, has carried 700,000 people since December, bosses say.

www.bbc.co.uk

I don’t think that is guaranteeing 4 car trains, really just a statement that they want more, whilst mentioning the shortage of units.

But didn’t it first get ‘announced’ a few months back? I see the BBC ran a similar story back in April:

Northumberland Line longer trains plan as railway fills up

Despite only half its stations being open, passenger numbers on the new rail route exceed estimates.

www.bbc.co.uk

County council deputy leader Richard Wearmouth said making the carriages longer was being considered to cope with demand, especially on busy Newcastle United match days.

He described it as a "good problem" for the £298m project where passenger numbers are on course to hit five times the original estimate.

 

[ChrisC]

15 miles for £2.10 - I'm not surprised it's popular!

Yes, an absolutely amazing price. I wonder how many years this type of low fare will remain. 30 years ago in Nottinghamshire the Robin Hood Line reopened as far as Mansfield, 3 years later to be extended to Worksop. This line runs through what in many ways was a similar ex mining area. Fares there were reasonably low when it first opened, but now for the 15 mile journey between Nottingham and Mansfield the single fare is £6.30.

 

[The exile]

Yes, an absolutely amazing price. I wonder how many years this type of low fare will remain. 30 years ago in Nottinghamshire the Robin Hood Line reopened as far as Mansfield, 3 years later to be extended to Worksop. This line runs through what in many ways was a similar ex mining area. Fares there were reasonably low when it first opened, but now for the 15 mile journey between Nottingham and Mansfield the single fare is £6.30.

My 15 mile commute would be £11.20 off peak single.

 

[androdas]

I don’t think that is guaranteeing 4 car trains, really just a statement that they want more, whilst mentioning the shortage of units.

But didn’t it first get ‘announced’ a few months back? I see the BBC ran a similar story back in April:

Northumberland Line longer trains plan as railway fills up

Despite only half its stations being open, passenger numbers on the new rail route exceed estimates.

www.bbc.co.uk

From my casual observation: The diagram that starts as the 0630 from Ashington (5T04 ECS from Heaton) has been 4 car most of this week, That is the train that works back on forth from Newcastle to eventually finish as ECS from Ashington at 2000 when the line drops to hourly but more importantly it is the diagram which works the 0800 from Ashington which seems from local social media as being the service with the worst overcrowding. Time will tell if all 3 diagrams on the line go to 4 car or just this one.

 

[1D53]

It is only that diagram as a four and it's 'best endeavours'.

 

[swt_passenger]

From my casual observation: The diagram that starts as the 0630 from Ashington (5T04 ECS from Heaton) has been 4 car most of this week, That is the train that works back on forth from Newcastle to eventually finish as ECS from Ashington at 2000 when the line drops to hourly but more importantly it is the diagram which works the 0800 from Ashington which seems from local social media as being the service with the worst overcrowding. Time will tell if all 3 diagrams on the line go to 4 car or just this one.

Ah, if it’s a standard choice of diagram then that’s better. Does it provide for well timed down services in the evening peak? Maybe if it becomes permanent they can start highlighting the longer services in the timetable, which will help people with more discretionary travel times.

 

[nerdowell]

But didn’t it first get ‘announced’ a few months back?

That was Sundays only.

 

[Snex]

Yes, an absolutely amazing price. I wonder how many years this type of low fare will remain. 30 years ago in Nottinghamshire the Robin Hood Line reopened as far as Mansfield, 3 years later to be extended to Worksop. This line runs through what in many ways was a similar ex mining area. Fares there were reasonably low when it first opened, but now for the 15 mile journey between Nottingham and Mansfield the single fare is £6.30.

As long as the Metro fares don't go up, indefinitely. It's being capped by the Metro Pop Integration.

 

[androdas]

Ah, if it’s a standard choice of diagram then that’s better. Does it provide for well timed down services in the evening peak? Maybe if it becomes permanent they can start highlighting the longer services in the timetable, which will help people with more discretionary travel times.

The diagram in question runs as follows Mon-Sat at these times (of course all these times change in December but not a great deal)

From Ashington: 0631 0800 0930 1100 1230 1400 1530 1659 1830 (ECS 2000)

From Newcastle: 0716 0850 1014 1148 1320 1449 1617 1750 1917

I use the 1617 from Newcastle quite a bit and that can be quite busy so would be a useful train to have 4 cars on.

 

[jh64]

My bus into town today gave me a view of a pair of 158s heading in with just about every visible seat occupied. It's a shame the Sunday extension to the Metrocentre isn't coming until two weekends before Christmas, only taking three quarters of an hour to get there from Ashington will be very attractive to a lot of people.

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

Yes, an absolutely amazing price. I wonder how many years this type of low fare will remain. 30 years ago in Nottinghamshire the Robin Hood Line reopened as far as Mansfield, 3 years later to be extended to Worksop. This line runs through what in many ways was a similar ex mining area. Fares there were reasonably low when it first opened, but now for the 15 mile journey between Nottingham and Mansfield the single fare is £6.30.

Just down the road, Morpeth to Newcastle is also around 15 miles and you can pick up an Advance Single for £2.90 on Northern or £2.80 on TPE.

Ashington to Hexham is around 40 miles and you can also get an Advance Single for £6.80.

Decent pricing all round and one of the factors of the success of the Northumberland Line.

 

[59CosG95]

Just down the road, Morpeth to Newcastle is also around 15 miles and you can pick up an Advance Single for £2.90 on Northern or £2.80 on TPE.

Ashington to Hexham is around 40 miles and you can also get an Advance Single for £6.80.

Decent pricing all round and one of the factors of the success of the Northumberland Line.

Ashington has also won the World Cup of Stations!