New Northumberland passenger line getting the economy moving

For more than 60 years, residents of the southeast of Northumberland faced a stark choice when it came to travelling to and from Newcastle, the nearest city. Take the car and get stuck in traffic jams before finding a space in an increasingly congested city, or wait for a bus that could take well over an hour and stop at scores of places along the way.

All that changed on December 15th 2024 with the opening of the Northumberland Line – a brand-new passenger rail service connecting Ashington with central Newcastle in just over 30 minutes. The opening brought not only a new way for thousands of residents and visitors to get to and from the city quicker, it also opened up a whole new economic corridor which both the council and the private sector is looking to capitalise on.

Head of Strategic Transport and Climate Change at Northumberland County Council Stuart McNaughton explained how the decline of passenger rail due to Beeching cuts many years ago was a familiar story for many areas, stating that “what Northumberland was facing wasn’t unique, it’s something that’s affected many areas that lie outside major cities. Unfortunately the lack of public transport accessibility in the area had impacted on the ability of South East Northumberland residents to access employment and further education opportunities. Congestion and long journey times had also contributed to the economic decline of the area, with people moving to live and work in other regions. Places like Ashington and Blyth just weren’t easy places to get to and from quickly.”

The railway between Ashington and Newcastle (what is now known as The Northumberland Line) used to run both passenger and freight services until the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Since then, freight trains have continued to use the line, primarily serving the Port of Blyth and Lynemouth Power Station. So there was basic infrastructure still in place, but to bring back passenger services to modern standards, building new stations, laying miles of new track, modifying 24 level crossings and installing high-tech signalling, was a mammoth task.

Through a combination of government (Department for Transport) and county council funding, the council has been working alongside partners since 2018 to develop the scheme. Six years later, at a cost of £298.5m, the line re-opened and there are now three stations open, with the remaining three under construction to follow later this year. Stuart explained: “The reintroduction of passenger services on the line has been an aspiration of Northumberland County Council for many years.

“But we’ve always been clear the opening of the line is much more than just about getting people from A to B. The Line aims to stimulate and support economic growth, regeneration and community development in our county and the surrounding regions by providing new and improved transport links for local people and businesses.”

Once fully complete, the line will link seamlessly into the Tyne and Wear Metro (light rail) system, bringing further opportunities for interchange and travel to other destinations through an integrated fare system, while at Newcastle Central Station, there’s easy access to the city centre and the national rail network.

Stuart went on: “Forecasts predict that for every £1 invested in the line there will be a at least £1.50 in economic benefits, so while creating a new rail service isn’t cheap it’s set to bring real long-term improvements to the county. We’re really pleased with passenger journey numbers so far, with 50,000 journeys in the first month along and that figure is now around 250,000. A key piece of analysis will be to look at these benefits, whether it’s young people travelling into the city for higher education or those travelling in to enlist at the brand new higher education college being built in Ashington. And suddenly a whole new area is opened up to businesses, whether they are expanding or looking for a new place to locate – there’s a large labour market who can get in and out of these areas so much quicker.

“Recent years have seen a huge amount of investment and regeneration in the south east of Northumberland, particularly around the renewable energy industry and a forthcoming £10bn data centre, and the Northumberland Line can play a critical role in helping these areas flourish.

“And the freight trains that have continued to use the lines for the past 60 years haven’t been forgotten – they are still able to use the line and take advantage of the upgraded rail infrastructure, helping support the economic aspirations of both the nearby Lynemouth Power Station and the Port of Blyth.

“While this project continues to be a great example of collaboration and partnership working, that doesn’t stop when the last station opens. It’s crucial we all showcase the plans to businesses across the region to ensure they’re fully engaged and aware of how they can benefit over the coming years.

“Across the country, transport infrastructure schemes have been shown to catalyse economic growth and that’s exactly what we’re aiming for with the re-introduction of this line.”