Could Northern Trains Eliminate Diesel Trains From Newcastle Station?
Destinations served by Northern Trains from Newcastle, include the following stations.
- Ashington – 18.6 miles – Not-Electrified
- Carlisle – 61.5 miles – Electrified
- Chathill – 46 miles – Electrified
- Darlington – 36.1 miles – Electrified
- Hexham – 22 miles – Not-Electrified
- Morpeth – 16.6 miles – Electrified
- Nunthorpe – 51 miles – Not-Electrified
I believe that with short lengths of electrification at Nunthorpe and some platforms in Newcastle station, that battery-electric trains could serve all the routes to non-electrified stations, given that battery-electric trains seem to be capable of around a hundred miles on batteries.
An Extreme Day Out – Bedlington And Northumberland Park Stations
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Northumberland Line and the Eastern part of the Newcastle Metro.
Note.
- The yellow track is the Northumberland Line.
- It terminates in the North at Ashington in the top-left corner of the map.
- Bebington station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- It terminates in the South at Newcastle station.
- The green track is the Newcastle Metro.
- There is now an interchange between the two lines at Northumberland Park station.
In the following sections, I’ll describe my trip.
King’s Cross And Newcastle Return For £66.35
I bought my two long distance tickets on a walk-up basis at King’s Cross and Newcastle stations from the machines.
- I traveled North on a Lumo service to Glasgow for £27.20.
- I did indulge myself with a tea for £2.60.
- I traveled South on an LNER service for £36.55.
- One of the reasons, I buy tickets on a walk-up basis, is that with my uncomplicated pancolonic diverticular disease, I might decide to cancel at the last minute, so it avoids the hassle of getting refunds.
Both services were within a few minutes of the timetable, although LNER had said they would be late, due to signalling problems.
My Route In Northumberland For £2.60
I bought a return ticket at Newcastle station for Ashington, which is the current terminus of the Northumberland Line.
- I actually didn’t go past Bedlington station, where I turned round and had a drink.
- As there are two trains per hour on the Northumberland Line, waits are not generally not too long.
- I only came back as far as Northumberland Park, where I swapped to the Metro for Newcastle station.
If I had had more time, I would have stopped at Seaton Delaval station to have a gluten-free dinner, which I wrote about in Seaton Delaval Station – 30th March 2025.
From Newcastle to Bedlington Station
I took these pictures going to Bedlington station.
I would have taken more pictures, but the train was rather full.
Bedlington Station And Bedlington
I took these pictures at and around Bedlington station.
Note.
- Although it is a completely rebuilt station, it has a level crossing.
- But is the signal box keeping a watchful eye over trains and the road?
- Bedlington station appears to be step-free using ramps and the level crossing.
- Just to the North of the station, the tracks split to Ashington and Morpeth.
In my forty minutes or so in Bedlington, I didn’t see a terrier.
Are Any Bedlington Terriers Still Bred At Or Near Bedlington?
I had to ask Google AI, this question and I received this reply.
Yes, Bedlington Terriers are still bred in and around their namesake town in Northumberland, UK. While they are a relatively rare breed overall, the historic North East region remains one of the primary strongholds for these distinct “lamb-like” dogs.
Northumberland Park Station
I took these pictures at Northumberland Park station.
Note.
- The Northumberland Line uses a single bi-directional platform on the North side of the station.
- The Newcastle Metro uses an island platform on the South side of the station.
- Both platforms have steps and lifts.
- There are around 400 parking spaces and a Sainsbury’s Superstore at the station.
At 78, after a stroke, I didn’t find the change between the two lines difficult. But I did use the lifts!
What Are The Future Plans For The Northumberland Line?
I couldn’t resist asking Google AI this question and I received this answer.
With the Bedlington and Northumberland Park stations fully operational, the core phase of the Northumberland Line connecting Ashington to Newcastle is complete. Future plans now focus on route extensions, additional stops, and increasing capacity to handle high passenger demand.
Key Future Plans
Extension to the Coast: The North East Combined Authority is actively funding the development of an extension to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, utilizing existing freight tracks. Planning submissions for this expansion are targeted for 2028.
New Station Proposals: Proposals are being explored to build an additional stop serving the Wansbeck General Hospital and to replace the long-closed Choppington station.
Increased Capacity: Operator Northern Rail is in ongoing discussions with transport partners to lengthen train services (which are currently constrained to two to four coaches) to help accommodate massive patronage on the line.
Integrated Ticketing: The Northumberland County Council is exploring integrated ticketing with the Tyne and Wear Metro to allow for seamless travel between the two networks at stations like Northumberland Park.
From my observations on the line over the last few years, I would go along with Google AI’s recommendations.
These are some specific thoughts.
Extension To Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks that used to exist between Ashington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
Note.
- Ashington station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- A freight line exists, which is shown in yellow, all the way to Lynemouth power station, which is a 420 MW biomass power station.
- Lynemouth powerstation was originally built to power an aluminium smelter.
- Running South-East from the Northumberland Line, is a disused railway alignment labelled NBN, which leads into Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
This Wikipedia section describes the history of railway connection of the town.
Situated on the west side of Front Street (now the B1334), the station opened on 1 March 1872 as a terminus of the Blyth and Tyne Railway (now known as the Northumberland Line). The station had a long island platform onto which the station building faced. There were sidings on both sides of the station which handled goods traffic, controlled by a signal box. The station closed to both passengers and goods traffic on 2 November 1964. With the reopening of the Northumberland Line, Provisions have been made, especially at Ashington so that the line could be extended to Newbiggin. As of the end of 2025, there were calls to extend the railway by 1.6km (1 mile) into the centre of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. This will require new track and is all subject to a feasibility study. A formal bid was launched in December 2025 for this.
In Formal Bid To Extend Railway Line, I wrote about the latest progress in January 2026, based on a BBC article.
The Northumberland Line Needs A Focus Other Than Commuting
Several of the stations have large car-parks, which is good for commuting, but the railway needs to serve more places for leisure and other activities.
- Seaton Delaval Hall is Grade 1 Listed and is just 10 minutes in a bus from the station with the same name.
- If the Northumberland Line is connected to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, that could bring in those, wanting a day by the sea.
- The extended Northumberland Line would also connect to Woodhorn, which is a museum, described in this Wikipedia entry.
QTS are also developing an AI data centre at Cambois, which surely will generate commuter traffic from all over the North East.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the location of the QTS AI Data Centre.
Note.
- Ashington station is indicated by a blue arrow.
- The yellow track is the Northumberland Line, which now terminates at Ashington station.
- Bedlington station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The trapezoidal grey box to the East of Bedlington is labelled as Site for QTS AI Data Centre.
- As the site, was that of Blyth coal-fired power station, before QTS acquired it, there is a disused railway line that connects the site to the Northumberland Line.
I suspect there are powerful economic arguments about whether or not, the Northumberland Line is extended to the QTS AI Data Centre site.
How Much Power Will QTS Cambois Data Centre Need?
I couldn’t resist asking Google AI this question and I received this answer.
The proposed QTS Cambois data centre in Northumberland is expected to require between 620MW and 720MW of critical IT power capacity, with an initial proposal capacity of up to 1.1GW.
Details on the planned power infrastructure include:
Power Capacity: The facility will support up to 720MW of critical IT capacity across ten planned buildings, though some council estimates cite an expected total power capacity of 620MW.
Backup Power: To guarantee uptime and handle power outages, the campus will rely on nearly 600 diesel-powered generators, requiring up to 58 generators per data hall.
Site Details: Located on the former Blyth Power Station site in Cambois, the £10 billion development will span 540,000 square metres.
My views on this are.
- There is the 1.4 GW North Sea Link from Blyth to Norway, that I wrote about in UK To Norway Sub-Sea Green Power Cable Operational.
- The 4.1 GW Berwick Bank wind farm is planned to send 1.8 GW to Blyth.
- To help if QTS need more power, there is the 1.4 GW Sofia wind farm.
- So 1.1 GW should be manageable, as Blyth is blessed with more power than Niagra Falls.
I also believe that Centrica and Delta have a much better backup solution, that I described in Delta And Centrica Launch Scalable Off-Grid Fuel Cell Power Solution. Hydrogen could come by pipeline or rail.
How Would The Northumberland Line Connect To Wansbeck Hospital?
This Google Map, shows the location of Wansbeck General Hospital with respect to Ashington station.
Note.
- Ashington station in the South-West corner.
- Woodhorn museum is in the North-East corner.
- Wansbeck General Hospital is indicated by a red arrow.
- The Northumberland Line runs East-West to the South of the museum and then curves round to reach the station.
Perhaps the station could go between the museum and the hospital and an innovative shuttle would connect all three locations.
How Would The Northumberland Line Connect To Choppington?
This Google Map, shows the location of Choppington, with respect to Morpeth and Bedlington stations.
Note.
- The orange track on the West side of the map is the East Coast Main Line.
- Morpeth station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Bedlington station is in the South-East corner of the map.
The Eastern end of the Bedlington and Morpeth Line can be seen in this picture to the left of Bedlington North signal box at the Northern ends of the the platforms.
Note.
- Bedlington North signal box has a communication mast behind it.
- The track to the left of the box goes to Morpeth.
- The track to the right of the box goes to Ashington.
This OpenRailwayMap shows Choppington Road, which crosses the Bedlington and Morpeth Line at the only level crossing between Bedlington station and Hepscott junction.
Note.
- Choppington Road, which runs North-South on the map.
- The yellow tracks are the Morpeth and Bedlington Line, which runs East-West across the map.
- Where they cross, a red cross indicates a level crossing.
- The Wikipedia entry of Choppington station shows a level crossing.
As the level crossing on the map is the only one shown, this must be the location of Choppington station.
A Trip To The Northumberland Line – 7th November 2025
On Friday, I went to Newcastle to have a look at the new Blyth Bebside station.
I took these pictures between Newcastle and Ashington stations.
Note.
- The impressive slim bridge over the railway at Newsham station. Other places could imitate this. See Bicester Village Station – 28th May 2025.
- The well-filled car park at Newsham station.
- The large amount of new housing.
- The recently-opened Blyth Bebside station.
- The crossing of the River Blyth.
- The under-construction Bedlington station.
- The crossing of the River Wansbeck.
- The single platform Ashington station.
- The train took 36 minutes for the 18 miles.
- According to staff, there is no hostelry close to the station at Ashington, but there is a good gluten-free pub at Seaton Delaval station, that I wrote about in Seaton Delaval Station – 30th March 2025.
I then returned to Blyth Bebside station and took these pictures.
Note.
- Blyth Bebside station is fully step-free.
- There is a sizable car park.
- The wind turbines of Blyth Harbour wind farm can be seen in the distance from the station bridge.
- I estimate the platforms at the station will take a five-car Hitachi Class 802 train or a pair of two-car Class 158 trains.
These are some further thoughts.
The Platforms On The Northumberland Line Are Long
Consider.
- As I said earlier the platforms in the stations appear to be long enough to handle a five-car Hitachi Class 802 train or a pair of two-car Class 158 trains.
- From what some have said about the line, I suspect four-car trains will be needed soon for Newcastle matches.
- But would this be enough, if a local hero like Sting decided to have a Summer concert on the beach?
- Lengthening platforms is often a pain, if you don’t make them long enough.
So were Network Rail just making sure that the track was fit for all eventualities?
Could The Northumberland Line Be Electrified?
These pictures show Platform 1 at Newcastle station, where Northumberland Line trains usually terminate at Newcastle.
Note.
North East Coast Named Top UK Rail Walking Route Thanks To Northumberland Line Reopening
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Northumberland Gazette.
This is the sub-heading.
A once-missing link in Northumberland’s rail network has helped unlock a new coastal walking route.
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Railwalks.co.uk, a national group which aims to promote walking from railway stations, has identified the North East coastline as one of the best-served by rail in Britain.
This has only become possible since the reopening of Ashington Station last year. Until July 19, Railwalks.co.uk founder member Steve Melia will be walking 92 miles from Alnmouth to Seaton Carew, following the England Coast Path.
If people are walking the coast, they are going to need support like cafes, pubs and shops.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Northumberland Line and the coast.
Note.
- The orange track is the East Coast Main Line with stations at Widdrington, Pegswood and Cramlington, as you come down the map.
- The blue arrow indicates Ashington, which is the terminus of the Northumberland Line.
- The yellow track is the Northumberland Line, which passes through Newsham and Seaton Delaval.
- The green track at the bottom of the map, is the Newcastle Metro to Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and North Shields.
- To the East of Ashington is Museum Halt, which could be a station on an extension of the railway to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, which I wrote about in Onward To Newbiggin-by-the-Sea For The Northumberland Line?.
How many other places in the UK would benefit from a new or reopened railway for business, leisure and building houses in nice little inaccessible towns and places?
Longer Trains Plan As New Rail Line Fills Up
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A newly reopened railway line has attracted so many passengers that carriages may have to be added to trains to avoid people having to stand, a council said.
These three paragraphs add a bit more detail.
The Northumberland Line, between Ashington and Newcastle, opened in December after being shut for 60 years but so far only half the six stations are in operation.
County council deputy leader Richard Wearmouth said making the carriages longer was being considered to cope with demand, especially on busy Newcastle United match days.
He described it as a “good problem” for the £298m project where passenger numbers are on course to hit five times the original estimate.
It looks to me that the Northumberland Line is suffering a very bad case of London Overground Syndrome.
The only certain thing, is that as the syndrome will get worse as more stations are opened.
At least the syndrome has a proven solution – The operator just needs to rustle up some more trains.
Cafe Plans For Derelict Building On New Rail Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A disused building on a newly reopened railway line could be saved if planners back proposals, external for its renovation.
These three paragraphs give more details.
One structure at Bedlington station in Northumberland has already been demolished but plans have been submitted which would save the building on the northbound side.
It was used until 1964 when the line closed, and while passenger services on the Northumberland Line between Ashington and Newcastle resumed last year, a new station in Bedlington has not yet been completed.
East Bedlington Parish Council chair Keith Grimes said: “It’s one of the oldest buildings in the parish, so it’s definitely worth keeping.”
I wrote about my visit to the new Northumberland Line in My First Trip On The Northumberland Line – 18th December 2024.
If the Northumberland Line is going to attract leisure travelers, a sprinkling of cafes along the line is a must.
These are pictures of Bedlington from my earlier trip.
Note.
- I’d hoped I’d got a picture of the prospective cafe. But no luck.
- I didn’t see any Bedlington Terriers either.
- But then there are several of those excellent and distinctive dogs, near where I live in London.
The station should be operational this year, but it appears there’s still a lot of work to do.
Access To The Coast
This OpenRailwayMap shows the railway lines of Northumberland in relation to the coast.
Note.
- The orange line is the East Coast Main Line between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
- Morpeth is the station on the Western edge of the map.
- The yellow line is the Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington.
- The site of the new Bedlington station is indicated by the blue arrow.
It looks to me, that there are a lot of disused railway lines, that could be used to develop the Northumberland Line into a system with a much wider coverage.
The Wikipedia entry for the Northumberland line does say this about Ashington station.
Ashington station has been developed in such a way that an extension, such as that previously proposed to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Woodhorn could still be built, albeit part of a separate scheme.
Note.
- Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is East of Ashington.
- Woodburn is on a line that goes to the West of the East Coast Main Line.
- The extensions would open up the area for more housing and rail-oriented leisure activities.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the railway lines to the West and North of Newcastle.
Note.
- The orange line on the East side of the map is the East Coast Main Line between Newcastle and Edinburgh via Morpeth.
- The yellow line to the East of the East Coast Main Line, is the Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington.
- The green line is the Tyne and Wear Metro
- The orange line going along the bottom edge of the map is the Tyne Valley Line between Newcastle and Carlisle via Corbridge and Hexham.
- All the lines meet at Newcastle station.
- Woodburn station is indicated by the arrow on disused lines that connect Morpeth on the East Coast Main Line with the Tyne Valley Line.
Reopening the lines to Woodburn would create a new railway, that would encircle Newcastle and surely create lots of housing, business and leisure opportunities.
But let’s get Phase One finished first and see how passenger numbers develop.
50,000 Journeys Made On Northumberland Line In First Month
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release on the Northumberland County County.
These are the first few paragraphs of the press release.
Passengers have made more than 50,000 journeys on Northumberland Line services in the first month after the opening.
The line reopened to passengers – for the first time in 60 years – in December, thanks to a £298.5m project involving the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Northumberland County Council and Northern.
Services now call at Newcastle, Manors, Seaton Delaval and Ashington, with a journey along the entire 18-mile route taking around 35 minutes and a single ticket costing no more than £3.
Tickets for more than 50,000 journeys have been bought since the opening and Saturdays have been particularly popular.
That includes more than 3,500 journeys made on the opening day (Sunday, 15 December), when the platform in Ashington was packed with people waiting to catch a glimpse of the first service.
That is what I would call a good start.
But after I wrote Dartmoor Line Passes 250,000 Journeys On Its First Anniversary, As Rail Minister Visits To Mark Official Opening Of The Station Building, a year after that line opened, I don’t think 50,000 for the Northumberland line is a high figure.
At 50,000 in the first month with only four stations, they must be on course for well over half a million passengers, when the line is fully open.
Figures like these show that enthusiasts for rail closures like Richard Beeching and Harold Wilson were so very wrong.
We need several reopened and new railway lines like this!
My First Trip On The Northumberland Line – 18th December 2024
Yesterday, I took Lumo to Newcastle and took my first ride to Ashington on the Northumberland Line.
These are some of the pictures I took.
Note.
- Much of the route is double-track.
- Bridges over the tracks indicate, that some stations will have two platforms.
- I suspect some stations could take a five-car train.
- One guy said that there is a lot of landscaping to do.
- The standard is very similar to the Borders Railway.
I have some other thoughts.
The Blyth Valley Is Well Supplied With Electricity
Several high-capacity connections to wind farms and Norway are planned to come ashore at Blyth and it appears from the pictures that the area is well connected to the grid.
This must have nudged Britishvolt to put their battery plant at Blyth.
But no matter for those jobs, as with a rail service to Greater Geordieland and lots of electricity, there must be other energy-hungry businesses like datacentres or small modular reactor factories, who would want the site.
The Long Platforms
I am fairly sure that some of the platforms have been sized to take a five-car Hitachi Class 80x train, which are only 130 metres long and can carry around 400 passengers.
This must enable the ability to use the Northumberland Line as a diversion for the East Coast Main Line.
Some services could perhaps stop at Blyth for the large factories and/or Northumberland Park for the Metro.
It looks to me, that the Northumberland line was designed for large factories or businesses with lots of workers, that needed lots of electricity.
Development North Of Ashington
This OpenRailwayMap shows the area North of Ashington.
Note.
- The orange line going up and down the map is the East Coast Main Line.
- Morpeth station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Ashington station is in the South-East corner of the map.
I think there might be scope to develop this area to make the heavy components needed for wind farms and small modular reactors,
London And Newcastle In A Day By Lumo
On Monday, the weather for yesterday in the North-East seemed set fair, I was able to get tickets on Lumo both ways for a reasonable price and the new Northumberland Line had opened.
So I decided to go for it.
My outward journey was on the 10:45 and the return was on the 17:52, which gave me more than enough time to take a train to Ashington and back.
I took these pictures as I arrived in and changed cmy trains at Newcastle.
Note.
- The weather in Geordieland was gorgeous.
- Is there another station in the UK, with an approach with such a large number of bridges over a large river.
- I took the bridge pictures from the lobby of the train.
- The blue railway bridge is on the East side of the train.
- The modern road bridge is on the West side of the train.
- In The Bridges of Newcastle, there are more pictures of Newcastles’s bridges.
- To change trains, I had to cross from one side of the station to the other on a stiff bridge without lifts.
- The Northumberland Line trains run every thirty minutes.
These are some further thoughts on Newcastle station, which I will write later.
Timings Going North
The train left Kings Cross at 10:45½, which was just thirty seconds late.
It arrived in Newcastle at 13:48, which was four minutes late.
The journey time had been three hours and two and a half minutes.
Timings Going South
The train left Newcastle at 17:52, which was on time.
It arrived in Kings Cross at 21:17, which was thirty-three minutes late.
The thirty-three minute delay, must raise the possibility of delay repay.
It does!
Three Hours London Newcastle?
These timings must raise the possibility of a sub-three hour time. on the train, between London King’s Cross and Newcastle stations.
The digital signalling that is currently being installed, with perhaps a few timetable tweaks should do it for both Lumo and LNER.
Could The Trains Absorb The Airline Passengers?
Consider.
- In 2023, 437,735 passengers flew between London Heathrow and Newcastle airports.
- This is just 1,200 passengers per day.
- A five-car Class 803 train has 403 seats.
It would appear that a few extra trains and some targeted marketing, could convert London and Newcastle into an all-electric train route.
Seats
Train seats are a bone of contention to many rail passengers these days.
I first rode on Lumo to Scotland in 2021 and wrote about it in London To Edinburgh On Lumo, where I was fairly complimentary about the seats.
They certainly are better than some train seats I have ridden in.
Am I Tired Today?
Not particularly! But I wasn’t very energetic during my four hours in the North.
Tickets For Onward Journeys
The main purpose of my trip was to ride the Northumberland Line to Ashington.
I made the mistake of not buying my ticket for the second train in London, as I hadn’t realised that my train from London and the Ashington train used different sides of the station.
- It was a stiff walk for me between trains.
- In order to buy a ticket, you need to pass through the barriers twice to get to the ticket office or a machine.
- There was no ticket facilities on the far side of the station, where the Lumo train arrived.
- The ticket machines didn’t accept contactless cards.
- Information was lacking.
The outcome was that I nearly missed my train to Ashington.
So to be sure of catching your connection, if you are changing trains at Newcastle, make sure you buy your tickets before you leave your first station.
The Anonymous Widower 