It is great to see that the first 100 days of the Northumberland Line (Sunday 15th December 2024 to Monday 24th March 2025), the recently reopened route is an undoubted success.
On the flip side of this, some trains are proving so popular that at peak times there are not enough trains to satisfy demand; resulting in passengers being turned away at some stations. Which is not what anyone wants to see.
Shortage of Northern Units
Reasons for this crowdingis due to some the services being formed of 2-car trains, not as 4-car ones that stations are able to fit, meaning that the number of seats/standing places is limited.
This is apparently due to a shortage of rolling stock (multiple units) at Northern, with apparently no easy answers for how Northern might run four car trains between Ashington and Newcastle, without reducing services elsewhere.
This needs a quick solution, as Newsham station, the third of the six to open just a week ago, has proven highly popular and will add to the crowding of services at peak times, let alone once Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park become completed.
Solution: Use Other Operators?
One solution, particularly at a weekend when fewer scheduled services are running might be to employ other diesel or bi-mode fleets on a Newcastle – Bedlington – Pegswood – Edinburgh route (and vice versa).
An example suggested some time ago on this blog was to use Transpennine Express* Class 80x bi-modes (diesel & electric) over this route; it would still offer a good overall Newcastle to Edinburgh journey time (a bit slower than via Cramlington, but still good enough, and could be compensated by a reduced fare) whilst boosting capacity on the Northumberland Line and giving a northbound connection to boot.
*other operators such as CrossCountry/LNER etc could also be considered.
Charter trains could be a further option to provide additional capacity in the short-term too.
In short, it gives the following advantages;
- Quick implementation as the route and rolling stock already exists.
- Alleviates the crowding issues seen on the newly opened Northumberland Line.
- Gives SE Northumberland the opportunity for northbound connections into North Northumberland and Scotland.
- Gives more network resilience as train drivers and crew would be familiar with the ‘B&T diversionary route’, especially given the issues with Plessey Viaduct in 2023 which highlighted the routes potential for diversionary use, as has been done in past decades.
I would like to see this option considered by Northumberland County Council, Northern etc as a way to tackle the problems of crowding on the Northumberland Line.
If it is possible, please just do it. If not, please explain why it can’t be done.
RH.
The Northumberland Coast Loop 