As of 12th February 2026, one thousand, one hundred people have signed the Northumberland Coast Loop petition for a rail service from Newcastle to Edinburgh via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park. This is just shy of its first anniversary as a petition, it being launched a year ago tomorrow on 13th February 2025. This comparesContinue reading “1100 Northumberland Coast Loop supporters”
Author Archives: hogg1905
Why the railways are SO complicated!
An excellent episode on Railnatter last night on the complexity of the UK rail network in England, Wales, and Scotland. Important to note is that a lot of this complexity is inherent to the system, but as inferred to in the video there may be some scope to simplify some parts by reducing the overallContinue reading “Why the railways are SO complicated!”
1069 signatures on the N.C.L. petition!
As of today (4.2.26), the petition for a Newcastle to Edinburgh rail service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park stands at an amazing 1069 signatures! Thank you to all who have signed it thus far, and please add yours ASAP if you haven’t already, as the first anniversary of the petition is approaching on theContinue reading “1069 signatures on the N.C.L. petition!”
COMING SOON: A case for ‘Morpeth North’; a second station for Morpeth, Northumberland?
Blog post in progress.
Coffee and a chat about Chathill and more at Barter Books 2.2.26
Yesterday, I joined John from the Chathill Rail Action Group (CRAG) for a coffee and a chat about Chathill station, and the wider context of the ECML, the Northumberland Coast Loop and more besides in the brilliant surroundings of Barter Books, housed in the original Alnwick station. Could the fortunes of Chathill change in 2026,Continue reading “Coffee and a chat about Chathill and more at Barter Books 2.2.26”
N.C.L. Meeting in Morpeth
Please click the link below on the N.C.L. Ko-fi page for details on the proposed meeting at Morpeth Station on Saturday 7th February 2026. https://ko-fi.com/polls/Morpeth-Meeting-7th-February-2026-M4M11TC5BW All welcome to attend and ask questions about the campaign so far, hope to see you there! Petition progress so far is 1052 signatures for the Northumberland Coast Loop asContinue reading “N.C.L. Meeting in Morpeth”
Northumberland Line million passenger milestone, Northumberland Park opening, and the N.C.L. for Edinburgh to Amsterdam via Port of Tyne?
The success of the Northumberland Line keeps being proven: passenger numbers pass 1,000,000 since opening! On Friday 23rd January 2026, an event was held at Blyth Bebside station to mark the millionth passenger journey on the Northumberland Line since opening just 405 days before on Sunday 15th December 2024, as shown in this article fromContinue reading “Northumberland Line million passenger milestone, Northumberland Park opening, and the N.C.L. for Edinburgh to Amsterdam via Port of Tyne?”
Digital PAYG rail ticketing tested by Green Signals: A potential fix to the recent Pop card problems?
Please watch the video below from Green Signals about the digital pay as you go trial by East Midlands Railway, but a system that could have clear potential in places like Northumberland where many smaller stations are unlikely to get the infrastructure seen at major stations like Newcastle Central. A solution to current Pop cardContinue reading “Digital PAYG rail ticketing tested by Green Signals: A potential fix to the recent Pop card problems?”
Scoring the Hales: Alnwick Shrove Tuesday Football Match 2026, a FREE event with an ancient history!
An ancient football game is due to be played on Alnwick Pastures (opposite side of the River Aln to Alnwick Castle) on Tuesday 17th February 2026, in just under a months time. For more details, please visit the Alnwick Town Council website. First recorded in 1762, the annual game is played between the parishes ofContinue reading “Scoring the Hales: Alnwick Shrove Tuesday Football Match 2026, a FREE event with an ancient history!”
The N.B.A.B.E rail link (Northumberland Coast Loop) to boost Bedlington to Newcastle train capacity?
The N.B.A.B.E. is an acronym for the proposed Northumberland Coast Loop rail route, and is derived from the stations it will pass through en-route, the three letter station code is included in brackets after the station name. Newcastle Central (NCL) Bedlington (BEJ) Alnmouth (for Alnwick) (ALM) Berwick Upon Tweed (BWK) Edinburgh Waverley (EDB) The firstContinue reading “The N.B.A.B.E rail link (Northumberland Coast Loop) to boost Bedlington to Newcastle train capacity?”
The Northumberland Coast Loop 