Northumberland Line reopening: progress updates

[swt_passenger]

Yes, sorry about that, they sometimes (or often) time out. Heres a link to the application page:

21/00299/FUL | Construction of a new single platform railway station including: retaining wall, pedestrian lift, staircase and access from Algernon Drive modifications to existing bridge parapet. Construction of facilities ancillary

idoxpublicaccess.northtyneside.gov.uk

But if that stops working the planning site reference is 21/00299/FUL

 

[Killingworth]

This is the most useful document, the Design and Access Statement

It's excellent news that planning is now proceeding apace. With a choice of Metro or this new line into Newcastle Central I'm looking forward to a first ride on the reopened line.

In the meantime, The Railway Touring Company are taking a steam hauled trip from Lincoln via this line between Newcastle and Morpeth on Saturday 12th June.

 

[swt_passenger]

This is the most useful document, the Design and Access Statement

It's excellent news that planning is now proceeding apace. With a choice of Metro or this new line into Newcastle Central I'm looking forward to a first ride on the reopened line.

In the meantime, The Railway Touring Company are taking a steam hauled trip from Lincoln via this line between Newcastle and Morpeth on Saturday 12th June.

Aye, that’s what I tried to link to earlier, but North Tyneside planning links go stale after a while, unlike those on Northumberland’s site. Anyone else wanting to see it will have to select it from the planning documents page. Unfortunately the pdf is too large for an attachment as well.

The general arrangement drawing uploads to rail forums OK though:

 

[Class 170101]

Planning application for Northumberland Park single platform station is online, on the North Tyneside planning site. A fairly straightforward single platform, embankment regraded to make room, stairs and lift to adjacent road bridge:

But why a lift as opposed to a slope, the former is prone to failure through use (or maybe misuse) or vanalism unlike a slope and must surely be adding to the cost making schemes unviable or undeliverable?

 

[swt_passenger]

But why a lift as opposed to a slope, the former is prone to failure through use (or maybe misuse) or vanalism unlike a slope and must surely be adding to the cost making schemes unviable or undeliverable?

I’m not sure, but I doubt there’d be room for a slope that conformed to current rail standards. It’s a point that’s been raised recently in the context of new ECML stations in Scotland, Reston and East Linton.

 

[Class 170101]

I’m not sure, but I doubt there’d be room for a slope that conformed to current rail standards. It’s a point that’s been raised recently in the context of new ECML stations in Scotland, Renton and East Linton.

I just look at stations in the (former) PTE areas like Cross Gates where access was provided by a slope from an existing overbridge structure and cannot believe there aren't (some) lessons there to be (re)learnt and savings to be made.

 

[swt_passenger]

I just look at stations in the (former) PTE areas like Cross Gates where access was provided by a slope from an existing overbridge structure and cannot believe there aren't (some) lessons there to be (re)learnt and savings to be made.

But rules get updated don’t they...

 

[geordieblue]

But rules get updated don’t they...

And many of the stations in former PTE areas would absolutely not be allowed now... they aren't exactly shining examples of correct construction techniques. (That said, I've never used Cross Gates so can't comment on the slope there.)

 

[a_c_skinner]

aren't exactly shining examples of correct construction techniques

Slightly off topic, but these are stations that people seem to use perfectly well. Doesn't that imply the problem is with the standards not the stations? This is a serious question. People on here do observe that rail tends to end up "gold plated".

 

[zwk500]

Slightly off topic, but these are stations that people seem to use perfectly well. Doesn't that imply the problem is with the standards not the stations? This is a serious question. People on here do observe that rail tends to end up "gold plated".

Some people, even most, but not all. As it stands, new build must, by law, allow all to use it. If you think that standard should be relaxed to allow more affordable rail investment, it's your MP you need to speak to.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Lifts are basically the go to now, the days of putting in a 300m ramp and saying wheel yourself/your pram up and down that are gone. It's no longer viewed as making sites accessible. Don't get me wrong ramps will still appear but they won't be the default accessible solution.

 

[zwk500]

Lifts are basically the go to now, the days of putting in a 300m ramp and saying wheel yourself/your pram up and down that are gone. It's no longer viewed as making sites accessible. Don't get me wrong ramps will still appear but they won't be the default accessible solution.

I think it's come up in the Reston Station thread (among others) that there's a maximum total rise a ramp can have from street to platform (and it's not very big).

 

[YorkshireBear]

I think it's come up in the Reston Station thread (among others) that there's a maximum total rise a ramp can have from street to platform (and it's not very big).

Hadn't seen that but yes thats the details behind it.

 

[geordieblue]

Slightly off topic, but these are stations that people seem to use perfectly well. Doesn't that imply the problem is with the standards not the stations? This is a serious question. People on here do observe that rail tends to end up "gold plated".

Rail does end up gold plated and this is definitely a problem. However, my local station is Burley Park, consisting of two timber platforms with limited support (there's chicken wire at the front, I presume to stop rubbish getting underneath - it's not solid wood). This isn't gold-plating, it's poor construction.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Rail does end up gold plated and this is definitely a problem. However, my local station is Burley Park, consisting of two timber platforms with limited support (there's chicken wire at the front, I presume to stop rubbish getting underneath - it's not solid wood). This isn't gold-plating, it's poor construction.

Some of the qest yorkshire PTE stations will need full rebuilds at some stage as they were definitely cheap and cheerful. Burley Park is a good example, was my local for many years.

 

[geordieblue]

Some of the qest yorkshire PTE stations will need full rebuilds at some stage as they were definitely cheap and cheerful. Burley Park is a good example, was my local for many years.

It's definitely cheerful - it's a great little station - but it couldn't be done today. Didn't one of the platforms at Shipley get built for £60k or something?

 

[Llandudno]

Some of the qest yorkshire PTE stations will need full rebuilds at some stage as they were definitely cheap and cheerful. Burley Park is a good example, was my local for many years.

Problem is if Burley Park (and numerous other PTE stations) was built to today’s ‘standards’ funding may not have been available to build it in the first place.

A recent example is Bow Street near Aberystwyth, £8m to open a station on a single track line!

 

[YorkshireBear]

Problem is if Burley Park (and numerous other PTE stations) was built to today’s ‘standards’ funding may not have been available to build it in the first place.

A recent example is Bow Street near Aberystwyth, £8m to open a station on a single track line!

Absolutely. I do not disagree with them being built the way they were. But things change and we wouldn't be able to do it now. Just commenting that because of that, many of them are not in great condition.
Cheap now is micropiles and GRP platforms.

 

[zwk500]

Problem is if Burley Park (and numerous other PTE stations) was built to today’s ‘standards’ funding may not have been available to build it in the first place.

It's an interesting question, should we accept lower-standard stations upgrade to full standard later in order to get funding? But for a separate thread

 

[androdas]

New Bebside station planning application has been submitted on the Northumberland website: (reference 21/00878/CCD)

https://publicaccess.northumberland...ils.do?keyVal=QPGFHVQSMG400&activeTab=summary

Construction of a two platform railway station including: pedestrian lifts, stepped and ramped pedestrian access, upgrade of existing junction to provide signalised access to station; modifications to highways including pedestrian footways; provision of parking for buses, cars, electric vehicles, motorcycles, cycles, and taxis; works to public rights of way ; construction of a pedestrian and cycle bridge, facilities ancillary to the station including, lighting, soft and hard landscaping, surface and subsurface drainage, utilities and other services, boundary treatment and other associated works.

 

[Meole]

Northumberland Line £40m stations contract out to tender

Northumberland County Council is advertising for a construction contractor to build six new railway stations.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

"Northumberland Line £40m stations contract out to tender​

17 Mar Northumberland County Council is advertising for a construction contractor to build six new railway stations."​

 

[MarkLong]

Northumberland Line £40m stations contract out to tender

Northumberland County Council is advertising for a construction contractor to build six new railway stations.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

"Northumberland Line £40m stations contract out to tender​

17 Mar Northumberland County Council is advertising for a construction contractor to build six new railway stations."​

Does 40 m enough for six new stations? The recently opened two-platform station all exceed 10 million.

 

[Bald Rick]

Does 40 m enough for six new stations? The recently opened two-platform station all exceed 10 million.

It’s usually cheaper to build them on lines that are rarely used.

 

[swt_passenger]

There’s three stations, (ie Northumberland Park, Seaton Delaval and Ashington) that are only single platforms, and they’re not that long either.

 

[david1212]

Northumberland Line £40m stations contract out to tender

Northumberland County Council is advertising for a construction contractor to build six new railway stations.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

"Northumberland Line £40m stations contract out to tender​

17 Mar Northumberland County Council is advertising for a construction contractor to build six new railway stations."​

Does 40 m enough for six new stations? The recently opened two-platform station all exceed 10 million.

It ought to be plenty.

I've just looked and 3 websites give three different results for inflation from 1991 to 2021 or 1990 to 2020. The average is just over 2.

While with privatisation being planned it would never have happened I wonder if based on the above the 1991 figure would have been ~£20m or rather less?

I cringe at the recent costs. >£0.5m for a basic footbridge, add two lifts and the cost is over £1m.
The 'Access for All' scheme at Stechford station, essentially a new footbridge, two lifts and a link from the booking office to the bridge, a shelter ( I think one was relatively recent ) and CCTV was £3.9m - Link

 

[snowball]

I've just looked and 3 websites give three different results for inflation from 1991 to 2021 or 1990 to 2020. The average is just over 2.

That's equivalent to less than 2.4% a year, which suggests you were looking at general inflation. Construction industry inflation is always much higher, but I don't know a figure.

 

[swt_passenger]

That's equivalent to less than 2.4% a year, which suggests you were looking at general inflation. Construction industry inflation is always much higher, but I don't know a figure.

There’s also been “standards inflation” for new construction stations. Some of the 1990s new station quality was pretty hopeless.

 

[Bald Rick]

That's equivalent to less than 2.4% a year, which suggests you were looking at general inflation. Construction industry inflation is always much higher, but I don't know a figure.

Construction inflation indices are here:

Construction output price indices - Office for National Statistics

Construction Output Price Indices (OPIs) from January 2014 to June 2026, UK.

www.ons.gov.uk

 

[david1212]

That's equivalent to less than 2.4% a year, which suggests you were looking at general inflation. Construction industry inflation is always much higher, but I don't know a figure.

Construction inflation indices are here:

Construction output price indices - Office for National Statistics

Construction Output Price Indices (OPIs) from January 2014 to June 2026, UK.

www.ons.gov.uk

I was not aware generally construction inflation was significantly higher than general inflation. While house prices have increased significantly more there is a big difference between the estate agent price and the insurance rebuilding price.

There’s also been “standards inflation” for new construction stations. Some of the 1990s new station quality was pretty hopeless.

Indeed a valid point.

What I would like to see is a cost comparison for exactly the same work between 1991, when it would have been carried out or at least managed by British Rail, and 2021, with fragementation between TOC's, Network Rail and maybe others. In light of the first point further the difference between the increase for general construction e.g. houses, offices and railway stations and infrastructure.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Does 40 m enough for six new stations? The recently opened two-platform station all exceed 10 million.

I think the access to the infrastructure will bring the price down a lot. Not intensively used with opportunities for long day time line blocks I would imagine.

If that keeps the programme down it will keep the costs down.