The picture below shows Class 66 (66301) hauling the regular North Blyth to Fort William ‘Alcan’ tanks (filled with Alumina at Port of Blyth and taken to the Alvance smelter near Fort William) along the Morpeth North Curve which links the Hepscott Line between Bedlington and Morpeth to the East Coast Main Line.
This freight starts from the Port of Blyth, reverses in the sidings at Bedlington, then takes the Hepscott Line towards Morpeth, but then diverges onto the Morpeth North Curve to take a direct path towards Pegswood and the north, passing through stations such as Alnmouth, Berwick Upon Tweed, Reston, Dunbar and on to Edinburgh and beyond.
The Northumberland Coast Loop proposes that passenger services could follow a similar route, starting at Newcastle and taking the soon to open Northumberland Line route as far as Bedlington, the services could then take the branch westwards at Bedlington (the Hepscott Line), and following this freight path, access the ECML facing northwards toward Berwick Upon Tweed, which means a direct link between Berwick and Blyth by rail could be realised.
As my constituency MP, I have already proposed this connection to David Smith, newly elected MP for North Northumberland, as well as this ongoing petition to Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council which at time of writing has 658 signatures.
If you’d like to see this route as one of the next expansions of the Northumberland Line, please contact your local MP, County Councillors and Town/Parish Councils to offer your support, as well as signing the petition above.
Thanks, RH.
The Northumberland Coast Loop 