hogg1905

£255,000 for Eden Hill Bridge repairs to allow for Aln Valley Railway expansion

An update on the Northumberland County Council (NCC) website yesterday afternoon announced that £255,000 has been made available for repairs to Eden Hill Bridge, which spans the trackbed of the Alnwick Branch about halfway between Lionheart Station and Alnmouth station (the route now home to the Aln Valley Railway (AVR) and a parallel greenway), withContinue reading “£255,000 for Eden Hill Bridge repairs to allow for Aln Valley Railway expansion”

‘Flying Scotsman’ needs a parallel ‘Stopping Scotsman’? Cross party collaboration for better Berwick rail services and call to invest in the ECML.

Collaborative calls for a ‘Stopping Scotsman’ service at Berwick, and elsewhere in the Scottish Borders area. A Facebook post by John Lamont MP and David Smith MP has highlighted the ongoing collaboration between the neighbouring MP’s either side of the Scottish Border on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) to see the services to Berwick-Upon-TweedContinue reading “‘Flying Scotsman’ needs a parallel ‘Stopping Scotsman’? Cross party collaboration for better Berwick rail services and call to invest in the ECML.”

By rail to Bebby! A return trip to Blyth Bebside from Alnmouth via Newcastle

Yesterday was my first opportunity to travel to Blyth Bebside station, the most recent station to open on the Northumberland Line (fourth of the six new stations), and a potentially key one on the Northumberland Coast Loop, for reasons which will hopefully become clearer as this blog post progresses. Northumberland Coast Loop Edinburgh to NewcastleContinue reading “By rail to Bebby! A return trip to Blyth Bebside from Alnmouth via Newcastle”

All the A’s: Ashington World Cup of Stations Win & The Aln Valley Railway – Alnwick (Lionheart) to Alnmouth Station advancing forward?

This month has been a very positive one for rail news in Northumberland! With the opening of the fourth Northumberland Line station at Blyth Bebside on Sunday 19th October, as well as the ‘World Cup of Stations’ win for Ashington, and good news hopefully for the Aln Valley Railway extending beyond Eden Hill Bridge, towardsContinue reading “All the A’s: Ashington World Cup of Stations Win & The Aln Valley Railway – Alnwick (Lionheart) to Alnmouth Station advancing forward?”

Blyth Bebside Station Opened! Trains to Edinburgh in the future?

Yesterday, on Sunday 19th October 2025, Blyth Bebside station became the fourth of the six new stations on the Northumberland Line to open, and from footage and images shared online, which shows the great active travel connections into Blyth (new bridge over the A189 Spine Road), as well some of the first trains to callContinue reading “Blyth Bebside Station Opened! Trains to Edinburgh in the future?”

Extra carriages on some Northumberland Line trains from October 2025, but N.C.L. option still open?

With the fourth station on the line at Blyth Bebside due to open tomorrow (19th October 2025), and already around 700,000 passengers having travelled on the Northumberland Line since it opened less than a year ago (15th December 2024), there have been many of the two carriage trains becoming overwhelmed by the volume of passengersContinue reading “Extra carriages on some Northumberland Line trains from October 2025, but N.C.L. option still open?”

Extra carriages on some Northumberland Line trains from October 2025, but N.C.L. option still open?

Northumberland Line: 700,000 passengers passed!

In a Facebook post today (16.10.25) from Northumberland County Council, council leader Glen Sanderson stood at Blyth Bebside, the next station due to open on the Northumberland Line, which will mark four of the six stations new completed and opened to passengers, showcasing what the completed station will look like ahead of opening. In theContinue reading “Northumberland Line: 700,000 passengers passed!”

Newsham and other stations vs Arriva buses?

It has been good to see the BBC News coverage recently (14.10.25) about lack of direct bus services to the new station at Newsham on the Northumberland Line, after our blog post on 2nd October titled ‘New railway station at Newsham; but no buses to it!‘. The company operating buses, Arriva (now owned by aContinue reading “Newsham and other stations vs Arriva buses?”

The Northumberland Line passes 650,000 journeys!

In this article from the Northumberland Gazette, which discusses the opening of the fourth station on the line at Blyth Bebside next Sunday, the 19th October 2025, gave great news for passenger figures on the line. So far, two stations, one at Ashington, and the other at Seaton Delaval, opened with the line itself onContinue reading “The Northumberland Line passes 650,000 journeys!”