On 9th October 2023, a little under a year ago, ITV broke the news that a structural issue had occured to Plessey Viaduct over the River Blyth, with the parapet of the bridge becoming dislodged and resulting in significant disruption to the East Coast Main Line (ECML) for several weeks while repairs were made to the viaduct.
A lot of talk at the time in local railway Facebook groups suggested the alternative and established diversionary route via Blyth could be used, should the viaduct be completely closed to traffic, or for some workings, though this was complicated by the ongoing Northumberland Line works at the time.
The Northumberland Coast Loop petition slightly predates this event occuring, being launched on the 5th October 2023, just days before the viaduct as Plessey suffered from a parapet issue, but highlights the potential usefulness of this route for diversionary purposes.
In the event, the viaduct remained partially open, albeit with quite significant disruption to services, and only a few trains were diverted over the former Blyth and Tyne route (now the Northumberland Line); the most notable example perhaps being the Flying Scotsman (the loco) being sent light engine plus support coaches on 11th October 2023.
Moving forward to today, the Northumberland Line is now steadily heading towards completion, with driver training well underway. Now is perhaps the opportunity to see this route used routinely by passenger services branching off the ECML at Morpeth North Junction, and heading towards Newcastle via Blyth?
This would help drivers to retain route knowledge, by making it a regular route it would mean regular staffing, and wouldn’t present a huge issue to divert trains if all drivers were familiar with this as an alternative route between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
The other benefit of regular working is ensuring the compatibility of rolling stock, for example the bi-mode Class 80x’s used by LNER on the Tyne Valley Line recently could easily run via the Blyth and Tyne route too.
As stated in previous posts, services direct between SE Northumberland/North Tyneside and North Northumberland/Scotland could bring major economic benefits; easier connections to the Blyth Estuary would attract more businesses, and more investment into new industries, esp with easy links to Edinburgh, a major capital city and gateway to the Central Belt of Scotland.
Please sign the petition if you haven’t already done so to show your support, and feel free to share this post too!
The Northumberland Coast Loop 