As of 11th August 2024, the Northumberland Coast Loop petition has just reached 650 signatures since starting in October 2023.
The aim of this petition is to use the Hepscott Line as one of the next expansions of the Northumberland Line beyond the soon to open Newcastle – Ashington route.
This route is advantageous by track already being in place, and used regularly for freight; and offering a direct potential connection from South East Northumberland, and North Tyneside to North Northumberland (Alnmouth (for Alnwick), Berwick-Upon-Tweed and more), and into Scotland.
The route wouldn’t require any additional stations to be built, just to utilise the existing link between the Northumberland Line at Bedlington, and the East Coast Main Line at Pegswood.
This short link should be a relatively simple, fast to implement, and cost-effective route to make use of, providing much better connectivity both within Northumberland and to/from wider UK.
A recent stay in Berwick-Upon-Tweed confirmed the underlying movement of people along the route, with the owner of a neighbouring caravan travelling regularly from their home on the coast in North Tyneside to their caravan in Berwick, probably a trip made mostly by road at present, but a more direct rail service (i.e. Northumberland Park to Berwick-Upon-Tweed) could make modal shift much more easy and convenient, the same being true for other major parks such as Haggerston Castle, a VERY common destination for families from South East Northumberland.
If you support this route, please give the above petition your signature and hopefully make it a reality in the very near future.
The Northumberland Coast Loop 