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DB were route learning for this last week - there are also schedules in for next week between Toton and Handsworth EMR. I’d assume this is the FOCs trying to get back into the scrap market before the Port Talbot electric arc furnace comes online - that will require huge quantities of scrap. Good...

Although presumably changing at Stockwell for Victoria?

Good point! - which further demonstrates how daft the idea is that this is a line only designed to be accessed by cars

They used to interwork - now all but one of the Morpeth services appear to run to/from Newcastle (there’s a single Hexham-Morpeth service on weekday peak evenings). Weekends are a bit different I think.

Does anyone have any idea how many units are diagrammed for Newcastle-Morpeth and Newcastle-Ashington on weekdays - 2 and 3 respectively?

I think the one at Belford is but the one at Morpeth isn’t? (Might be wrong)

Ashington station: in the town centre Bedlington station: in the town centre Blyth Bebside: walking distance for much of north Blyth (could in fairness be improved by a bridge over the A189) Newsham: walking distance for much of South Blyth (could’ve been built further north, closer to Newsham...

I am delighted that Blyth and Ashington have a decent train service again :lol:

You mention below your ‘ecstasy’ at the line’s opening; does that extend to a knowledge of how to spell one of the two major settlements on its route?! (Tongue in cheek - but you have been corrected twice on this thread already!)

Few interesting bits and pieces from the north east in the last week or two. Firstly: a loaded aggregate train ran from Bardon Hill to Sunderland Docks last week (and is scheduled to do the same tomorrow). I don't know the last time there were aggregate trains into Sunderland but fingers...

Agreed - I wasn’t trying to do down the Northumberland line, it’s genuinely been transformative for the area and will become more useful as it’s properly integrated to the Metro when Northumberland Park opens. My point was more that total cost isn’t always the best metric of how successful a new...

Cost for construction per passenger somewhat lower for the Elizabeth Line though. Very rough calculations based off rough figures obtained from a quick Google… Elizabeth line: 250m annual passengers, £20bn cost to build = £8m for every 1m passengers Ashington: 1m annual passengers, £350m to...

HVV’s app is (or was) also one of the only ways to obtain a D-ticket without a German bank account so possibly tourists/part-time travellers would form a decent chunk of that figure too? (Rather than just those actually living in Hamburg)

In fairness that isn't up to ORR. ORR weren't assessing the merits of reopening the Waterside line, they were assessing whether the proposed track access application was primarily abstractive. Since the application was essentially predicated on nicking traffic off SWR, ORR have rejected it...

Couple of slightly unusual moves in the last week or so: A trio of VGA/VKA vans have been dropped off at Bletchley after a move from Arpley last Friday. Any got any ideas? There’s also an Immingham-Cardiff EMR run tonight - wagons coming off repair/for scrap or something else?

As ever - thanks for such a useful post

Isn’t Ashington less than 15 miles if measured from Benton Jn (where the electrification runs out)?

Yesterday and today there’ve been moves between Cardiff Tidal and ‘Cardiff EMR DB’, which is I assume the rail-connected scrapyard immediately south of Tidal yard. Any ideas? https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R41024/2026-04-15/detailed

Not sure this is correct any more - the wagons they used to use on the flow have now apparently been scrapped.

Considering that a load of money is being spent on upgrading the Penyffordd crossover, it would be a bit wasteful if traffic from there was ending…