Celebrations as next Northumberland Line station opens

The latest station to be completed on the Northumberland Line has been officially opened. 

Newsham Station in Blyth opened for business, with a mix of local residents, commuters and rail enthusiasts among those to travel on the first service which departed at 6.12am. 

The new station will allow people to travel to Newcastle in 21 minutes, with a peak-time return ticket costing just £4.80.  

The opening of Newsham, the largest new station on the line, follows the opening of Ashington and Seaton Delaval stations in December. Northern, which runs the services, said passengers have made more than 135,000 journeys on the line so far. 

The remaining three stations at Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park remain under construction, with Bebside next in line to open this summer. 

 Northumberland County Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: “This is another great day for our county and one that will be especially welcomed by residents in Blyth. 

“A huge amount of work has gone into getting this station open as quickly and safely as possible and I know teams have been literally working around the clock to get things ready for today. 

“It’s a real renaissance moment - It’s 70 years since Newcastle United won a major domestic trophy. Back then you could have travelled by train to Newcastle from here and now Newcastle are winning once again and you can now get to the city on a train in just over 20 minutes. 

“So I feel incredibly proud to see another station opening on this very ambitious project which is already paying dividends for our residents, tourists and businesses.  

“The opening of Newsham Station will no doubt bring a further boost to passenger numbers and we look forward to even greater passenger figures as more stations open.” 

The line is set to bring massive benefits not just in terms of travel, but also investment, educational and job opportunities, as well as enhanced public transport connectivity across the wider region.   

The new station opened during the nationwide celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway in the North East. 

Passengers travelled on the world’s first steam locomotive service on The Stockton & Darlington Railway, when it opened on September 27 in 1825. 

Rail Minister Peter, Lord Hendy said: “Three months since the Northumberland Line welcomed its first passengers for 60 years, more than one hundred thousand people have benefited from improved connectivity across the region and better access to job and education opportunities.  

“It’s already having a significant impact across Northumberland and beyond, and the opening of Newsham will unlock the benefits of the line to many more local people.”  

David Ball, Network Rail senior sponsor, added: “We’re very proud of the role Network Rail played in reviving the Northumberland Line, and the opening of Newsham station is another important milestone in bringing more connectivity benefits to communities in this part of the North East.” 

Tickets for The Northumberland Line can be bought via https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/