Today, Sunday 15th June 2025, marks 100 days since an early morning start at Linlithgow station on the 8th March, and an excellent railtour by SRPS Railtours around southern Scotland and northern England.
The final leg of this railtour, was of particular interest to this campaign as it follows the proposed Northumberland Coast Loop route; running from Newcastle Upon Tyne, up the Northumberland Line to Bedlington, then taking the Hepscott Line, round the Morpeth North Curve, and rejoins the East Coast Main Line (ECML), to head back to Edinburgh.
It was great to travel the line after seeing the ‘Bound for Craigy’ railtour, which ran over the same route on 18th March 2017 (almost eight years earlier), which was a large part of the inspiration for this route becoming a regular passenger route.
For me, the railtour ended at Linlithgow station, where I then travelled home back to Northumberland that night.
This railtour was a great experience, with great company from fellow passengers, and a very happy and helpful on-board crew, as well as getting a great day to enjoy fantastic scenery while being hauled by heritage locomotives in heritage carriages — brilliant just about sums it up!
Since that day back on 8th March, the Northumberland Coast Loop campaign has taken a number of steps forward, and hopefully moving ever closer to the day when a routine service starts over the route?
So far, the rail service petition for a new Newcastle – Bedlington – Edinburgh stands at 553 signatures, itself 123 days since launch today. This petition will run until a service begins, but if you haven’t already signed it, please do so via the link above.
This route, like the Northumberland Line is likely to be a huge success; lets get it opened up sooner rather than later!
It could, alongside existing Northumberland Line trains add valuable extra capacity to the Northumberland Line (more seats from Newcastle Central onto the Northumberland Line), as well as create new, direct links from these new stations into North Northumberland and Scotland.
Please sign the petition here: https://chng.it/zThXj8HBpY, and if you can, especially so if you live in the area, please write to your MP, local County Councillors etc, to express your support for the route to be opened up.
The Northumberland Coast Loop 