On Saturday 4th July 2026, ‘The Tynesider’ railtour, operated by The Railway Touring Company and West Coast Railways, ran north from London to Newcastle; with the train continuing to Morpeth to take advantage of the ‘balloon loop’ formed by the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and the former Blyth and Tyne lines to turn theContinue reading “‘The Tynesider’ Railtour 2026: ‘Tangmere’ on the Bedlington Balloon Loop. West from Bedlington before the Newbiggin extension?”
Category Archives: Blyth Bebside
Northumberland Branch of NEPTUG Meeting: 1st July 2026
Another great meeting of the Northumberland Branch tonight, with much discussion on buses, rail services (ECML, Northumberland Line, and Tyne Valley Line), and also of cycling integration with rail too. Membership is FREE, with the chance to have a real say in better buses, trains, and more! Why not sign up now? We aim toContinue reading “Northumberland Branch of NEPTUG Meeting: 1st July 2026”
2026: The time for the ECML to do more for transport to, from, within, and through Northumberland alongside the A1?
In recent news, it has been revealed that in 2025, around eleven million tourists visited Northumberland, a new record, and the A1 has been stated to be a ‘key problem’, but does this overlook the role the ECML, other rail links and buses could be playing to reduce this key problem and enable more sustainableContinue reading “2026: The time for the ECML to do more for transport to, from, within, and through Northumberland alongside the A1?”
Northumberland Strategic Investment Site (N-SIS) and the Northumberland Coast Loop (N.C.L.): Blyth Bebside to Edinburgh in 90-105 minutes by rail?
On Tuesday 19th May 2026, Northumberland County Council officially launched the ‘Northumberland Strategic Investment Site (N-SIS)‘, located in and around Cambois, Northumberland. Quoting directly from the Business Northumberland blog page ‘…The site builds upon recent successes including the £10bn Blackstone QTS Data Centre Campus and JDR Cables £130m new advance[d] manufacturing development at the adjacentContinue reading “Northumberland Strategic Investment Site (N-SIS) and the Northumberland Coast Loop (N.C.L.): Blyth Bebside to Edinburgh in 90-105 minutes by rail?”
Blyth Bebside to Berwick-Upon-Tweed in just 50 MINUTES by rail: c.40 mins faster than going via Newcastle or Morpeth.
The Northumberland Line now complete, with all six stations now open and bustling, it is time to really set the sights on the next steps for the line, and in my view, it should be to make use of the existing connection from Bedlington headed west, not only to Morpeth, as put forward by SENRUG,Continue reading “Blyth Bebside to Berwick-Upon-Tweed in just 50 MINUTES by rail: c.40 mins faster than going via Newcastle or Morpeth.”
Mini Switzerland for Northumberland?
A very interesting video from transport campaigner and rail engineer Gareth Dennis on the ‘Mini Switzerland’ trial in the Hope Valley, UK. Much of the same lessons can be applied to Northumberland, using existing railway stations and buses, but operating them as a cohesive, intergrated system and not as a bus system that is separateContinue reading “Mini Switzerland for Northumberland?”
Northumberland Branch of NEPTUG: Campaigning together for better bus, rail, and active travel routes and services in Northumberland.
On Wednesday 1st April 2026 at 18:30, the first ordinary meeting of the Northumberland Branch of NEPTUG took place following the founding AGM on 4th March 2026. Please read below for more information about the meetings and what the group intends to do, but if you’d like to get involved, please feel welcome to joinContinue reading “Northumberland Branch of NEPTUG: Campaigning together for better bus, rail, and active travel routes and services in Northumberland.”
Bedlington Station opening: The end of the beginning?
Yesterday evening, Sunday 29th March, I travelled down to Bedlington station to see the final Northumberland Line station for myself, and one close to my heart as a born and bred Bedlingtonian! It is fantastic to see the town I grew up in once again reconnected to national network, but as the title suggests, IContinue reading “Bedlington Station opening: The end of the beginning?”
Northumberland Line nearing completion; lets see Newbiggin, the N.C.L., and Choppington station next!
On Sunday coming (29th March 2026), the final Northumberland Line station at Bedlington will finally open to passengers and mark the completion of this hugely successful but unfortunately much delayed project. The opening date of 15th December 2024 was much revised from original forecasts, and only two stations (Ashington, and Seaton Delaval) opened on thatContinue reading “Northumberland Line nearing completion; lets see Newbiggin, the N.C.L., and Choppington station next!”
The Forth, Blyth and Tyne rail route update 21.3.26
A little update on the campaign to date! Petition progress to date As of 21.3.26, the petition for the route (Start a Newcastle – Edinburgh Rail Service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park on Change.org) now stands at an amazing 1,142 signatures, and steadily continues to grow. Please click the link above if you haven’tContinue reading “The Forth, Blyth and Tyne rail route update 21.3.26”
The Northumberland Coast Loop 