Northumberland Line Station Contracts Are Signed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Nexus.
These are the first three paragraphs.
The signs are good for the new Northumberland rail line after the green light was given for construction to get underway on three new stations.
Contracts have been exchanged for principal contractor Morgan Sindall Infrastructure to formally start work on Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Seaton Delaval stations.
Main construction works are progressing at pace, with station works well underway at Newsham and works approaching completion in Ashington, and 21km of new track is already installed.
It certainly looks like it’s all systems go.
I hope Network Rail have the next reopening ready to go!
The Anonymous Widower 
Mark Harper said it was all station go on 6th March weitd its taken till now to get contracts in place. Anyhow should be able to deliver before summer 24.
Separately the line is fit for passenger tarin use now unlike Okehampton which wasn’t fully complaint but as usual now any change to service that increase movements over level/foot crossings involves a risk assessment process which always seems to result in extensive work. So here several footpaths are being subwayed or put over footbridges yet on any of our existing 125mph lines they can stay open albeit NR is doing a lot to eliminate them. All this drives up the cost of schemes like this and misses the holistic point that a miniscule increase in crossing risk isn’t offset by the wider benefits of moving vehicles off roads giving communities access to good jobs.
The point being the limited money could go a lot further if standards were proportionate to risks on these branch lines.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | August 10, 2023 |