A UK rail line that laid dormant for 60 years is ready for a return to passenger services later this year, after a successful trial run by train operating company (TOC) Northern Rail.
The Northumberland Line in northeast England connected Newcastle with Ashington, 18 miles away. Northern is planning to extend the line, with new stations at Blyth and Bedlington under construction.
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The reopening is part of a $300m project between the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Northumberland County Council and Northern Rail.
On Monday 5 August a Class 158, driven by Martin Rodger with support from Mark Laverick, travelled along the line for the first time. Further test runs to allow drivers and conductors to learn the route in detail will now take place, ahead of customer services beginning in December 2024.
The TOC is planning to run two hourly services from Monday to Saturday once the line opens, and a single hourly service on Sundays.
Paul Henry, programme manager for the Northumberland Line at Northern Rail said: “We’re delighted to see a Northern train complete a test run along the line for the first time.
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By GlobalData“It marks an important milestone in a major construction project, as it has taken years of hard work to transform this old freight line into a railway that will soon be used by thousands of passengers every week. Our driver training programme is well underway and we are looking forward to running a safe, reliable and affordable service for our customers later this year,” he added.
Northern has struck a deal with Nexus, the manager of Tyne and Wear Metro, to integrate the line with the existing pay-as-you-go fare system.
The historic line was inaugurated as part of the Blyth and Tyne Railway in 1853, to transport coal from the mining area around Ashington to the port at Newcastle, and other heavy industry in Northumberland.
It was later transformed into a passenger railway, and electrified at the start of the 20th century. But as passenger numbers dwindled in the 1960’s with the rise of private motor vehicles, the northern sections of the line fell under the axe of the notorious Beeching cuts.
The southern parts were incorporated into other lines, including the metro system. Although freight services remain on the line, there have been numerous attempts to resurrect passenger services over the past 30 years.
