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.
I Shall Be Going To The Opening Of Blyth Bebside Station On Sunday, the 19th October
In Railway Station Opening Date Announced, I said that Blyth Bebside station will open on October 19th.
I intend to go and add my travel times, when I book tickets.
Should New Stations Be Shown On Google Maps With Opening Dates?
I recently posted a comment on The Times recently, where I suggested a guy was opening one of his coffee shops in a town, that was getting a new railway station.
Another, who commented, suggested that I look at Google Maps to see their relative positions.
The coffee shop was shown, but the station wasn’t.
Surely, once the position of the station is known, it should be marked on Google Maps with an opening date, as this could help people take important decisions about their life.
Blyth Bebside station on the new Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington is already shown with the familiar logo, despite not opening until the 19th of October.
The other two unopened stations on the line, which are Northumberland Park and Bedlington, are going to open next year, are also shown with familiar logos, but no opening date.
Someone in Network Rail, needs to be given the responsibility to make sure that details like this are correct.
In the case of Blyth Bebside station, I can see two different captions indicating the station on Google Maps.
- Before October 19th 2025 – Blyth Bebside – Opens 19th Octopber 2025.
- After October 19th 2025 – Blyth Bebside – Opened 19th Octopber 2025.
Detailed labeling may even help deliveries during construction.
Railway Station Opening Date Announced
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A date has been announced for the latest station to be completed on a new railway line.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Blyth Bebside, on the Northumberland Line, will be opening on 19 October and only two stations remain before the line is fully operational.
The final stations at Bedlington and Northumberland Park are due to open in early 2026.
I shall be going for the opening of the new station, if I can get a Lumo both ways.
Major Milestone Marked As Half A Million Journeys Are Made On The Northumberland Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item on the Northumberland County Council web site.
These are the first four paragraphs.
500,000 passengers have now travelled on the Northumberland Line since it opened, train operator Northern has announced.
The operator has been running trains since the line opened in December 2024, with the milestone of half a million customer journeys achieved just eight months later.
Services call at Newcastle, Manors and at new stations in Seaton Delaval, Newsham and Ashington, with a journey along the entire route taking around 35 minutes and a single fare costing no more than £3.
Trains are proving to be particularly popular during school holidays and weekends.
This news release shows how successful and popular reopening disused railways can be and paints a similar picture to what happened in Deven on the Dartmoor Line to Okehampton, that I wrote about in Dartmoor Line Passes 250,000 Journeys On Its First Anniversary, As Rail Minister Visits To Mark Official Opening Of The Station Building.
We should be looking for more similar lines like the Dartmoor and Northumberland Lines to reopen.
These must be candidates.
- The Ivanhoe Line in Leicestershire.
- The Fleetwood Line in Lancashire.
- The Wisbech Line in Cambridgeshire.
At least the government is reopening the Portishead Line in Somerset.
Labour’s Great Rail Revival Has Already Hit The Buffers
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Telegraph.
This is the sub-heading.
The decision to relaunch just one defunct train line has sparked anger and frustration across Britain
These four paragraphs summary the article.
Labour came to power with a pledge to improve Britain’s creaking railways, spearheaded by a headline-grabbing commitment to renationalisation.
But a year on, the Government stands accused of blocking the resurrection of dozens of routes across England, most of them mothballed since the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.
The decision to relaunch just one defunct train line out of dozens was announced by the Government earlier this month.
In doing so, it has sparked anger in communities across the country, many of which were given hope by ministers who pledged to reconsider a fleet of reopenings, despite scrapping Boris Johnson’s Restoring Your Railway programme last year.
I find this particularly disappointing.
- The two railways, that have been reopened in England in the last few years; the Dartmoor Line and the Northumberland Line have done very well.
- The Levenmouth Link in Scotland appears to be going the same way.
- Merseyrail Extension to Headbolt Lane appears to be well-used.
- The government wants to build lots of Starmer’s semis.
Surely, a few more rail reopenings will help the last objective.
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?
Bicester Village Station – 28th May 2025
I went to Bicester Village station today and took these pictures.
Note.
- The station is fully step-free, with lifts.
- There is a reasonable coffee-shop.
- There is a very large car-park.
There are two trains per hour (tph) in both directions between Marylebone and Oxford stations.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- London is to the North.
- Oxford is to the South.
- The footbridge dates from October 2021 and is not shown on the map.
- The London Road level crossing is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The London Road level crossing is a problem, as I indicated in Bicester MP Calls On Chancellor To Fund London Road Crossing.
- To take the pictures of the level crossing, I crossed the footbridge to the North-West side of the station and walked through the car park to the station entrance on Station Approach. I then walked past the Bicester Bodyshop and Edmundson Electrical to the level crossing.
- The Shell garage can be clearly seen behind the level crossing.
During my walk of about thirty-five minutes three trains passed over the level crossing.
These are my thoughts.
The Long Platforms
The platforms are long.
- The Oxford-bound platform, which is Platform 1, is 240 metres long.
- The London-bound platform, which is Platform 2, is 230 metres long.
Both platforms will take a pair of five-car Hitachi Express Trains.
It looks to me, that East-West Rail are expecting a large number of passengers.
East-West Rail Plans For Powering Trains
I detailed these in Plans For Powering Trains And Details Of Our Upcoming Consultation.This post was based on an East-West Rail news item with the same title.
Distances include.
- London Marylebone and Oxford – 66.8 miles.
- Bletchley and Oxford – 47.2 miles.
Both distances are within range of five-car Hitachi Express Trains, that have been fitted with batteries.
I also suspect other manufacturers could supply suitable trains.
Thoughts On The London Road Level Crossing
This article on the BBC is entitled Level Crossing Petition Supported By Thousands.
This is the sub-heading.
A petition calling for a fully accessible underpass at a town’s level crossing has received more than 3,000 signatures.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
Launched by MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller, the petition calls on the government to ensure any replacement of the level crossing at London Road in Bicester includes access for cars, not just cyclists and pedestrians.
It is set to be closed on safety grounds when the East West Rail (EWR) line becomes fully operational, which many fear would cut off crucial access to thousands of residents.
Mr Miller will present the petition, which can only be signed in person, in Parliament on 3 June.
The argument is certainly hotting up.
But I believe, that a bridge that meets everybody’s requirements might be possible to be built.
- Suppose that all trains and locomotives passing through the level crossing had to be self-powered. Passenger trains could be battery-electric and freight locomotives could be either hydrogen or battery powered through the location of the level crossing.
- The track could also be lowered through the crossing.
- These actions would reduce the height of any bridge taking the road over the railway.
It looks to me that on the Northumberland Railway, which has recently opened, they had a similar problem, but they were able to squeeze a bridge into the space, as this 3D Google Map shows.
Note.
- The bridge looks like it carries a two-lane road and a pedestrian/cycle way.
- There is no electrification.
- I believe that the Northumberland Line could be run by battery-electric trains.
- The road bridge has been built to accept all traffic using the railway.
In Newsham Station – 30th March 2025, there are several pictures of the bridge. This one shows the bridge with a train.
In Trains: £34m For Revival Of 50-Year-Old North-East Railway Line, I said this about battery-electric trains for the Northumberland Line.
I’m drawn inextricably to the conclusion, that the trains should be 100 mph battery-electric trains.
Hitachi, who have a factory in the North-East, have announced their Regional Battery Train in July 2020, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
These trains can be based on Class 385 trains.
- They are 100 mph trains.
- They come in three- and four-cars lengths.
- The three-car trains have 206 seats.
- They can work in pairs.
- They can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- They have a range of 90 kilometres or 56 miles on battery power.
- The batteries would be charged on the ECML between Benton North junction and Newcastle station.
- The battery packs will be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation in Sunderland.
- They have big windows for the views.
I’m sure Hitachi and Hyperdrive would like a fleet in service, just up the road from their factories.
Could a similar or even thinner bridge be squeezed in at Bicester Village station to take London Road over the railway?
I think it can, if they use some of the latest 3D modelling.
Milestone Reached As 250,000th Passenger Journey Made On Northumberland Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Northumberland County Council.
These three introductory paragraphs add detail?
Passengers who have made more than 250,000 journeys on Northumberland Line services are being reminded they can beat the queues for tickets by buying online.
Northern said the major milestone was reached this week, after it began running passenger trains on the line in December, for the first time in 60 years.
Services call at Newcastle, Manors and new stations in Seaton Delaval, Newsham and Ashington, with a journey along the entire route taking around 35 minutes and a single fare costing no more than £3.
This is a good leveling-up story, so why hasn’t the government got a pipeline of shovel-ready new rail projects?
These projects could be for starters.
The West London Orbital
This page on the Transport for London web site gives the current progress and starts with this paragraph.
We’re making plans for a new rail service on existing, underused rail lines in west London that would become part of the London Overground network. The West London Orbital rail service would run from Hounslow towards Hendon and West Hampstead in the north.
The Mayor and Transport for London are probably spending most of their time, thinking of a silly woke name, that no-one will remember and just cause confusion.
The Ivanhoe Line
This article on the BBC is entitled Disappointment As Reopening Of Railway Line Halted.
This is the sub-heading.
The restoration of a passenger rail link through the Midlands has been stopped in its tracks.
These three paragraphs give more detail.
A business case for reopening the Ivanhoe Line rail link from Burton-upon-Trent to Leicester had been submitted before the election, with campaigners hopeful that work could begin in 2024.
But on Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Chancellor said that the previous government’s entire Restoring Your Railway programme would be scrapped, saving £85m.
Note.
- I don’t believe this government believes in improving the rail infrastructure in the UK.
- But how do they expect people to get around, given their preferred transport mode of electric cars are ridiculously overpriced?
- The article on the BBC is a must-read.
- Last week Arriva Group announced a new Newcastle and Brighton open access service, that will call at Burton-on-Trent, which is planned to be the Western terminus of the Ivanhoe Line. See Arriva Group Submits Open Access Rail Application To Connect Newcastle And Brighton, Via London Gatwick for more details.
For more on the Ivanhoe Line, read the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line web site.
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.
The Anonymous Widower 