A big thank you to David Smith MP for his time, and that of his assistant Theo in meeting with me to discuss the Northumberland Coast Loop rail campaign today via a Teams call.
It was a very positive meeting, and hopefully working together into the future!
As the above document (still a work in progress) records, the spark of the proposal was seeing the ‘Bound for Craigy’ railtour on Barrington Road, Bedlington, back in 2017, hard to believe a busy eight years has now passed, later that year, I got my most important job; being ‘dad’.
The proposal was on a back-burner as a busy new parent (now of two) until October 2023, when I launched a petition for the then Northumberland Loop, it attracting 742 signatures by the time it was closed in October 2024, the results then being passed to Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council by email, with a warm response received back.
On the 15th December 2024, the Northumberland Line partially opened with Ashington and Seaton Delaval stations as an initial phase, and passenger figures were very strong right from the outset.
On the 11th February 2025, I met with Mark and Caroline from the office of Ian Lavery, MP for Blyth and Ashington, again to a warm reception, shortly before actually travelling the route on 8th March 2025 aboard the SRPS operated ‘The Seven Counties Rambler’.
Shortly afterwards, Newsham Station opened, on the 17th March 2025, and in recent weeks, the announcement came that 250,000 passengers have travelled upon the Northumberland Line since December 2024.
On the 15th April 2025, I made a ‘within Northumberland’ trip that shows the reasoning behind the Northumberland Coast Loop, a direct rail route from Newsham to Alnmouth is possible via Bedlington and Pegswood, if only a service using the route of the Rambler was to be initiated?
Today was another big step forward with a meeting between myself, David Smith MP and Theo, and hopefully this proposal will keep steadily progressing forwards.
Thanks again to David and Theo for their time again today, and maybe it won’t be too long to see a regular service on the Northumberland Coast Loop route?
The Northumberland Coast Loop 