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”
Category Archives: Alnwick
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?”
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!”
Christmas Eve Update 2025: Alnmouth (for Alnwick) to Blyth Bebside in just 29 mins by rail?
A quick update for Christmas Eve 2025, and a final wish of a Merry Christmas to all! Bedlington, and Northumberland Park progressing towards completion! In this article from the Chronicle ‘Work on new Northumberland Line station making ‘great progress’ ahead of opening next year‘, it has been announced by contractors Morgan Sindall that Bedlington railwayContinue reading “Christmas Eve Update 2025: Alnmouth (for Alnwick) to Blyth Bebside in just 29 mins by rail?”
Proposed Alnwick, Alnmouth Station and Amble ‘AAA Bus meets Train’ service – December 2025
The petition for a dedicated bus connecting the towns of Alnwick and Amble to Alnmouth Railway station currently stands at 826 signatures, can you help it reach 1000? Please click this link to view and sign the petition: https://c.org/B4RwwtHnJc An outline of the proposed route, as well as the service pattern is explained below. TheContinue reading “Proposed Alnwick, Alnmouth Station and Amble ‘AAA Bus meets Train’ service – December 2025”
Northumberland Coast Loop rail and bus campaigns: November 2025 update
As of today, the last day in November 2025, the campaigns have made significant progress so far, which are outlined briefly below. Northumberland Coast Loop Rail Service The current campaign is centred around forming a new Newcastle to Edinburgh InterCity service via Blyth, Northumberland since the petition was launched on the 13th February 2025, toContinue reading “Northumberland Coast Loop rail and bus campaigns: November 2025 update”
£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”
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?”
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?”
CRAG campaign calls for better coastal connectivity via Chathill, and thoughts on wider Northumberland Coast Rail Services
On Thursday 4th September 2025, David Smith, MP for North Northumberland, Deputy Mayor Cllr Martin Gannon, and local County Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson attended a meeting organised by the Chathill Rail Action Group (CRAG) at Chathill Station to discuss the improvement of rail services to and from this underserved station on the North Northumberland Coast. AsContinue reading “CRAG campaign calls for better coastal connectivity via Chathill, and thoughts on wider Northumberland Coast Rail Services”
The Northumberland Coast Loop 