A recent social media post on the Aln, Blyth, and Tyne Railway (Northumberland Line & Beyond) Facebook group by member L.M. highlighted a 2hr 34min gap in the Newcastle bound timetable for midweek departures. A link to the excellent Realtime Trains website, showing services between Alnmouth and Newcastle only shows this really well, with theContinue reading “The Alnmouth (for Alnwick) Late Afternoon Timetable Gap”
Category Archives: ECML
The Tweed, Blyth and Tyne Line For Beautiful Northumberland By Rail?
A recent social media post (shown below), from Northumberland County Council is marketing the Northumberland Line as ‘scenic journey through the heart of the county’ with ‘historic stations and breathtaking landscapes’ making it ‘a true gem of the North East’. While the above does certainly hold true; the Northumberland Line is and will be aContinue reading “The Tweed, Blyth and Tyne Line For Beautiful Northumberland By Rail?”
Developing The Northumberland Coast Loop: Better Than Dualling The A1?
Building on this blog post that opposes further dualling of the A1 in Northumberland, could the Northumberland Coast Loop (N.C.L.) be part of the alternative investment? The premise of the N.C.L. is to provide large towns such as Blyth, and areas such as North Tyneside a direct rail link northwards, by using the existing freightContinue reading “Developing The Northumberland Coast Loop: Better Than Dualling The A1?”
Reprieve for the 08:10 CrossCountry service from Alnmouth?
This recent article from the BBC suggests that the highly popular 08:10 CrossCountry service from Alnmouth (for Alnwick) might survive the December 2025 ECML timetable change, though this is not yet certain. CrossCountry wish to maintain the service serving Alnmouth, and as a very popular on (around 100 daily users of this train are quotedContinue reading “Reprieve for the 08:10 CrossCountry service from Alnmouth?”
Just Nine Weeks To Go!
Today, Saturday 4th January 2025, marks the nine week countdown until ‘The Seven Counties Rambler’ organised by the SRPS takes to the rails on the 8th March 2025. This railtour, beginning and ending in Linlithgow, Scotland will take in a number of spectacular lines on it’s excursion around Scotland and Northern England (take a lookContinue reading “Just Nine Weeks To Go!”
Merry Christmas 2024 from the Northumberland Coast Loop Campaign
I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, it has been a fantastic year for the Northumberland Coast Loop campaign. Thank you for all your support and backing our proposal for regular rail services between Newcastle and Berwick via Bedlington; it is a obvious next step after the Northumberland Line, giving greater withinContinue reading “Merry Christmas 2024 from the Northumberland Coast Loop Campaign”
‘The Seven Counties Rambler’ Railtour by the SRPS in March 2025
Way back in 2017, the ‘Bound for Craigy’ Railtour by the Branch Line Society worked a section of its quite epic trip, which starting in Kings Cross to Edinburgh over what is now being campaigned for as the Northumberland Coast Loop, which is the alternative route between Newcastle and Berwick via Bedlington. Between Newcastle and Berwick,Continue reading “‘The Seven Counties Rambler’ Railtour by the SRPS in March 2025”
The N.C.L. put forward in the NECA Transport Plan Consultation
Today, I have put forward the Northumberland Coast Loop into the North East Combined Authority’s Transport Plan Consultation. With the Northumberland Line due to open in 10 days time (Sunday the 15th December 2024), and all stations so far being due to complete during 2025, on of the obvious things now is the ‘What’s next?‘Continue reading “The N.C.L. put forward in the NECA Transport Plan Consultation”
Northumberland Line Opening on December 15th, the new LNER Timetable, and the N.C.L an alternative route for the ECML?
Northumberland Line Opening! In some very welcome news, the Northumberland Line has finally been given an opening date of Sunday 15th December 2024. This is a very welcome step forward for many of the large towns in South East Northumberland, which haven’t seen a rail service since 2nd November 1964, so a little over 60Continue reading “Northumberland Line Opening on December 15th, the new LNER Timetable, and the N.C.L an alternative route for the ECML?”
Station Proposals at Killingworth and Belford, and the Morpeth Diversion
In the last few days, two articles cite plans for new stations at Killingworth in North Tyneside, and at Belford in North Northumberland on the East Coast Main Line (ECML). We’ll explore the opportunities and challenges of both of these stations below. Killingworth Station A new station at Killingworth on the East Coast Main LineContinue reading “Station Proposals at Killingworth and Belford, and the Morpeth Diversion”
The Northumberland Coast Loop 