Category Archives: Chathill

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”

North Sunderland Railway: 75 years since closure and a visit to Chathill Station.

On the 27th October 1951, the North Sunderland Railway ceased operations; it had been a relatively short lived line, having opened for goods on the 1st August 1898, and for passengers belatedly on the 18th December 1898. Below are a selection of photographs of the line in its operation life, shared via hyperlink to theirContinue reading “North Sunderland Railway: 75 years since closure and a visit to Chathill Station.”

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?”

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.”

NEWS: CRAG proposes more trains to stop at Chathill.

An article today in the Northumberland Gazette: ‘North Northumberland rail campaign group proposes solution to tackle transport poverty‘ discusses the proposal put forward by the Chathill Rail Action Group (CRAG) to help ease the transport poverty problem in North Northumberland, many residents of which don’t have access to a private car, but also places manyContinue reading “NEWS: CRAG proposes more trains to stop at Chathill.”

North East Bylines: Northumberland Coast Loop inferred and from coal to commuting.

An interesting article from North East Bylines ‘A tale of two branch lines’ by Mark Corner which comes very close to mentioning the Northumberland Coast Loop campaign except in name, but it is a great read and I’d wholly recommend doing so! If the original writer, or any other wishes to write about the NorthumberlandContinue reading “North East Bylines: Northumberland Coast Loop inferred and from coal to commuting.”

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”