There have been a number of positive news releases in recent days, so here is a short post to tie them together and a lot of optimism for the future!
Northumberland Line
The Northumberland Line continues strong performance since opening, with a recent announcement that 250,000 trips on the route are expected by Easter 2025, just four months after opening, and an article from RAIL magazine announcing that ONE MILLION journeys are predicted by the end of 2025.
This proves that the Northumberland Line was undoubtedly the right project for SE Northumberland, and with such strong usage, will give huge credibility to expansion of system capacity where possible (which this campaign suggests could be provided by Newcastle – Bedlington – Berwick/Edinburgh trains augmenting the Northumberland Line Ashington – Newcastle services, please see our previous post on this for more).
Double Win in Alnwick
Borderline Greenway Opened!
On Saturday the 29th March 2025, the Borderline Greenway was officially opened to the public; creating an approximately 2 mile long route utilising a section of the former Alnwick and Cornhill Railway from Greensfield on the edge of Alnwick out towards Edlingham station, the current end of the Greenway being where a change of ownership occur.
A continuation of the route is possible at least as far as the B6341 across Alnwick Moor, allowing a large circular route to be walked, though this latter section has not yet seen the improvements that the Borderline Greenway has brought to the former trackbed via cleared drainage, vegetation cut backs and clearance of fallen trees.
Hopefully in the near future, the route beyond the B6341 will also be opened up and the realisation of the full route from Alnwick to Cornhill/Coldstream will happen.
I took a video some years ago of the route around Rugley Bridge before work was carried out, and what a transformation the current route is!
Aln Valley Railway: Stepping closer to Alnmouth Station?
In other great news recently, the Aln Valley Railway (AVR) is being assisted by Northumberland County Council (NCC) through the council’s adoption and repair of Eden Hill Bridge, which carries the U3203 over the Aln Valley Line trackbed.
This adoption means that the long standing obstacle of gaining permission to pass under the bridge can now be granted by NCC, and allow the AVR a greater chance to reach Alnmouth Station, and allow for people to once again reach the town of Alnwick by train.
The bridge required some repairs and upgrades, which is costed at around £255,000, but the benefits of reaching Alnmouth will be huge to the AVR, as well as Alnwick more generally; there could even be future potential to see railtours, and possibly even regular services to and from Alnwick (Lionheart) in the future?
Petition Progress
Both petition continue to make regular gains as time progresses, with more details below.
Start a Newcastle – Edinburgh Rail Service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park
The above petition as of 4.4.25, has gained an impressive 249 signatures since its launch in February 2025. Thank you to all who have signed so far, and if you’d like to add your name, please do so via the link below:
Sign the Newcastle – Edinburgh Rail Service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park Petition
As ever, please write to your MP if you live in a constituency on the route to show your support too. It’s as simple as sending an email, so if you can, please do so, the more support that this rail route gets, the sooner it can be implemented!
Start a dedicated ‘Bus Meets Train’ shuttle bus between Alnwick, Alnmouth Station & Amble.
This petition has performed even more strongly, with 355 signatures since being launched in February 2025. Thank you again to all who have signed so far and of you would like to add your name, please do so via the link below!
A dedicated bus to connect to the recently opened Borderline Greenway, as well as an expanding Aln Valley Railway, as well as thriving attractions such as Alnwick Castle, The Alnwick Garden, Lilidorei and many more surely makes a lot of sense? If you agree, please sign the petition!
Behind the Scenes
There is more work ongoing behind the scenes, please keep an eye on the blog for more information soon, especially for an important upcoming meeting!
Thanks for reading, if you’d like to support me in maintaining these campaigns, please take a look at my Ko-fi page, any support would be most welcome! https://ko-fi.com/northumberlandcoastloop
The Northumberland Coast Loop 
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