Northumberland Line reopening: progress updates

[IanD]

Ashington has also won the World Cup of Stations!

Boaty McBoatFace springs to mind here.

 

[swt_passenger]

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.

Thanks for working out the times.

 

[StoneRoad]

I might try the trip from out West of Hexham for another ride at those prices !

But during the middle of the day ... I gave up "commuting" a few years ago.

 

[dk1]

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.

I used the 16:17 a few weeks ago and it was extremely busy. Hardly surprising which such a bargain fares structure, free parking and the alternative road congestion but still very good to see.

 

[dave1]

It will be a busy night on Tuesday as Newcastle United are playing at home in European Championship and Newcastle Eagles are playing in a European basketball match on Tuesday night also I would expect they will have to be more than 2 coaches

 

[timj]

Isn't it more the cheap and frequent service to be celebrated at Ashington rather than the station? You couldn't expect canopies, flower baskets and buffets everywhere but the station doesn't even have a ticket office, toilets or waiting room! Its a platform with a bus shelter

 

[nerdowell]

Isn't it more the cheap and frequent service to be celebrated at Ashington rather than the station? You couldn't expect canopies, flower baskets and buffets everywhere but the station doesn't even have a ticket office, toilets or waiting room! Its a platform with a bus shelter

The award isn't anything to do with facilities or how pretty and picturesque it is, it's about the affect it has had on the local and wider area.

 

[vic-rijrode]

The award isn't anything to do with facilities or how pretty and picturesque it is, it's about the affect it has had on the local and wider area.

Plus the access to the station from the town centre is being redeveloped - Wansbeck Square is being created between the station and Station Road, next to the War Memorial Garden.

 

[dave1]

There appears to be lots of problems on the line today

 

[androdas]

There appears to be lots of problems on the line today

Broken down CrossCountry? Train north of Heaton blocking one of the lines. A lot more than the Northumberland line is affected.

 

[dk1]

Broken down CrossCountry? Train north of Heaton blocking one of the lines. A lot more than the Northumberland line is affected.

Exactly. These things happen.

 

[Snex]

Broken down CrossCountry? Train north of Heaton blocking one of the lines. A lot more than the Northumberland line is affected.

I know it was over a week ago, but don't believe that was the only cause. Something happened on one of the trains which involved police, which according to a local resident groups, one of the staff members got attacked but can't confirm that bit 100%.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y01420/2025-10-25/detailed#allox_id=0 - It was this train that was involved and there's photos of the police at the station (sorry can't link as they're in a private group).

Obviously it happening in a single platform station then threw everything out the window as the line was blocked.

 

[Starmill]

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

To be fair, there is no possibility of it being permanent. Once Heaton are providing the additional diagrams for the Durham Coast and Whitehaven Tunnel reopens the Monday - Saturday availability will disappear with pretty much no chance of it coming back. Indeed it may actually disappear sooner than that if the surplus Whitehaven stock is transferred temporarily to Newton Heath.

 

[swt_passenger]

To be fair, there is no possibility of it being permanent. Once Heaton are providing the additional diagrams for the Durham Coast and Whitehaven Tunnel reopens the Monday - Saturday availability will disappear with pretty much no chance of it coming back. Indeed it may actually disappear sooner than that if the surplus Whitehaven stock is transferred temporarily to Newton Heath.

I agree. I think people, including the media, read too much into councillor‘s wish lists and positive spin. The latter don’t really have much to do with fleet sizes and allocations.

 

[dave1]

We have had a bad run the last few days with delays and cancelled trains is this all down to the weather

 

[androdas]

Yesterday was down to a passenger taken ill at Seaton Delaval with ambulance attendance, line was blocked so trains cancelled between around 18:30 until 21:30. There was also some delays / cancellations due to snow affecting the obstacle detector level crossings on Weds / Thurs.

 

[Killingworth]

Yesterday was down to a passenger taken ill at Seaton Delaval with ambulance attendance, line was blocked so trains cancelled between around 18:30 until 21:30. There was also some delays / cancellations due to snow affecting the obstacle detector level crossings on Weds / Thurs.

That must have been bad for those returning from the Newcastle match, although celebrations may have kept a lot in the toon until late.

How well did the line cope with demand generally yesterday?

 

[androdas]

Im not sure it did, by the time the match emptied out all that was running was a couple of rail replacement buses and it was only the last train of the night that made it through. Can imagine what the state of that service would have been with combined matchday and Saturday night revellers!

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

Im not sure it did, by the time the match emptied out all that was running was a couple of rail replacement buses and it was only the last train of the night that made it through. Can imagine what the state of that service would have been with combined matchday and Saturday night revellers!

Like the last days of Rome!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Nov 2025 ==

Yesterday was down to a passenger taken ill at Seaton Delaval with ambulance attendance, line was blocked so trains cancelled between around 18:30 until 21:30. There was also some delays / cancellations due to snow affecting the obstacle detector level crossings on Weds / Thurs.

It seems that those OD level crossings are a bit sensitive.

 

[dk1]

Like the last days of Rome!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Nov 2025 ==



It seems that those OD level crossings are a bit sensitive.

They do settle down eventually. Mud from the farm machinery/sugar beet Lorrys as well as 90mph line speed (much less than on the initial Scarborough to Hull route trial) all needed to be ironed out on the Breckland Line.

 

[zwk500]

It seems that those OD level crossings are a bit sensitive.

It's understandable though that the installation will err on the sensitive side and then let it be adjusted back a bit once it's bedded in a bit, rather than installing them less sensitive and then have an incident.

 

[03_179]

I have had a brief look but couldn't see an answer.

Do we know when the next stations are opening yet?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Do we know when the next stations are opening yet?

How does "Early in 2026" for Bedlington and for Northumberland Park sound to you?

 

[03_179]

Sounds good ... Just need them to open as I only really want to do one day trip up there and stop on all stations.

don't want to do more than one trip

 

[ainsworth74]

How does "Early in 2026" for Bedlington and for Northumberland Park sound to you?

Definitely sounds plausible for Northumberland Park, passing through a couple of weeks ago it looked much more like a station rather than a building site! Not sure about Bedlington however.

 

[nerdowell]

Bedlington is also almost complete, still some paving and so forth going on but the physical structure is there.

 

[zwk500]

Northern are posting on Facebook that 0.9m journeys have been made in the first year. Pretty good considering the delays in station openings.

Edit: here's a link to a chronicle article quoting 920,000 journeys as I now cant find the Facebook post. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/new...FWnhxG8dI8rmrBRDOt_aem_doGfGTI-6WYdVekMCYOXNw

Northern says that 920,000 journeys have been made on the Northumberland Line in its first year back in service

Of course, itll be frustrating for those who claim the demand projections are wildly pessimistic, but a line being used by more than 1m people a year when fully open is still a very good reopening.

 

[javelin]

Northern are posting on Facebook that 0.9m journeys have been made in the first year. Pretty good considering the delays in station openings.

Of course, itll be frustrating for those who claim the demand projections are wildly pessimistic, but a line being used by more than 1m people a year when fully open is still a very good reopening.

0.9 million journeys a year is what the original pre-pandemic economic case predicted the line would reach for the full scheme....by 2038. That's almost double its estimate for the initial year with all six stations, ~0.5 million.

In reality 0.9 million journeys have been reached in its first year post-pandemic, and where only two of the six stations have been open for the whole period.

 

[zwk500]

0.9 million journeys a year is what the original pre-pandemic economic case predicted the line would reach for the full scheme....by 2038. That's almost double its estimate for the initial year with all six stations, ~0.5 million.

In reality 0.9 million journeys have been reached in its first year post-pandemic, and where only two of the six stations have been open for the whole period.

If that's the same 2018 SOBC I've seen, the published forecasts were for return journeys, so either double the SOBC numbers or half the reported number of journeys for comparison.

The table I've quoted before on this page had projected 0.7m return journeys (I.e. 1.4m journeys) for the fully-open scheme after ramp-up in 2025 (opening year 2023) on the relevant scenario for the fares and service level (2pth with Metro zones ticketing).

Interestingly, the Chronicle article I linked up thread also claims the number of journeys is "higher than pre-opening forecasts" yet fails to give the forecasted number. The politicians quoted directly in the article are more circumspect and say it "exceeded all [their] expectations".

Northumberland Line celebrates anniversary with almost a million journeys

Northern says that 920,000 journeys have been made on the Northumberland Line in its first year back in service

www.chroniclelive.co.uk

Coun Glen Sanderson leader of Northumberland County Council, said that the first year had "exceeded all our expectations".

Mayor McGuinness added: "I've spoken to so many people who tell me how life changing the service has been for them and it goes to show how important good transport links are for everyone.

 

[androdas]

Northumberland Park to open on Feb 22nd, and no confirmed date for Bedlington but the local MP has posted on social media 'March'. Reported on Northumberland County Council facebook and on the BBC here:

Northumberland Park station opening date confirmed

The overdue station on the Northumberland Line will open on 22 February, it is confirmed.

www.bbc.com

Now it has been confirmed Northumberland Park will open on 22 February, with Bedlington to follow in the subsequent weeks.
Conservative council leader Glen Sanderson said once the final stations are open the attention will turn towards extending the line up to Newbiggin.