A recent article in the Northumberland Gazette has mentioned that Alnwick, Northumberland has recently gained ‘Coach Friendly’ status, awarded by the Confederation of Passenger Transport. The economic benefit to Alnwick fro. road going coaches is that they bring in around 150,000 visitors to the town, with about £4.5m worth of economic value as a resultContinue reading “Alnwick wins ‘Coach Friendly’ Status, & The AAA ‘Bus Meets Train’ Petition Progress at 99 Days.”
Category Archives: Northumberland Coast Loop
Newcastle – Bedlington – Pegswood – Edinburgh Rail Service Petition at 100 Days
It is now 100 days since the Change.org petition titled ‘Start a Newcastle – Edinburgh Rail Service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park‘ was launched, and tp date, it has attracted an 367 signatures of support, showing a large appetite for such as service to be launched. The map below, taken from the SRPS RailtoursContinue reading “Newcastle – Bedlington – Pegswood – Edinburgh Rail Service Petition at 100 Days”
The Route of the N.C.L. with Maps and 99 Days of Petition Success!
In the late evening of the 8th March 2025, ‘The Seven Counties Rambler’ operated by SRPS Railtours and hauled by Class 37’s 37409 ‘Loch Awe’ and 37043 ‘Isle of Mull’ departed Newcastle Central Station on the final leg of an epic tour of southern Scotland and Northern England, bound for Edinburgh and finally Linlithgow, whereContinue reading “The Route of the N.C.L. with Maps and 99 Days of Petition Success!”
N.C.L. Meeting with David Smith, MP for North Northumberland
A big thank you to David Smith MP for his time, and that of his assistant Theo in meeting with me to discuss the Northumberland Coast Loop rail campaign today via a Teams call. It was a very positive meeting, and hopefully working together into the future! As the above document (still a work inContinue reading “N.C.L. Meeting with David Smith, MP for North Northumberland”
Petition Progress – 761 Signatures Towards Better Northumberland Rail and Bus Services
Start a Newcastle – Edinburgh Rail Service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park As of the 10th May 2025, the petition to ‘Start a Newcastle – Edinburgh Rail Service via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park‘ has gained 330 signatures. This route would better enable ‘within Northumberland’ trips by rail, such as Berwick and Alnmouth (forContinue reading “Petition Progress – 761 Signatures Towards Better Northumberland Rail and Bus Services”
More trains to Chathill Station on 18th & 19th October 2025?
On the 18th and 19th October 2025, the Northumberland Vintage Tractor Club (NVTC) is holding their annual rally at the nearby former Brunton Airfield. A few photos from my visit in 2024 are shown below. Please note that the opinions expressed below are those of myself, not those of NVTC or of any other organisation.Continue reading “More trains to Chathill Station on 18th & 19th October 2025?”
The data case for Edinburgh bound trains from the Northumberland Coast Loop Stations
Inspired by the latest Railnatter episode (No. 258 ‘Data, maps and how to use them (with Will Deakin), it revealed some sources of data to augment the case for direct northbound rail travel from stations now opened and soon to open on the Northumberland Line. One of these sources was railwaydata.co.uk, which was used toContinue reading “The data case for Edinburgh bound trains from the Northumberland Coast Loop Stations”
The N.C.L. an opportunity to extend the Metro Fare Zone to Berwick Upon Tweed?
The Northumberland Line has just passed the 230,000 passenger mark according to a recent headline in RAIL Magazine, and a large part of this success is likely due to the line being within the Tyne and Wear Metro fare zone, meaning a low price cap for tickets, but could this zone be extended northwards toContinue reading “The N.C.L. an opportunity to extend the Metro Fare Zone to Berwick Upon Tweed?”
Looking Back and Looking Forward: The Northumberland Coast Loop, April 2025
Presentation on the Past On Tuesday 15th April, I attended an excellent presentation, hosted by Morgan Sindall and delivered by local historian Ed Orwin called ‘Newcastle to Ashington By Train: A Journey Through Time’. This was hosted at the brilliant Energy Central Learning Hub building on Quay Road in Blyth, Northumberland, and in the roomContinue reading “Looking Back and Looking Forward: The Northumberland Coast Loop, April 2025”
Petition Progress!
A great start to April with continued progression of both petitions, and a sizeable growth in both since the last post on the blog on 4.4.25. Newcastle – Northumberland Park – Blyth Bebside – Edinburgh Rail Service As of 6.4.25, the rail service petition now stands at 264 signatures, great progress over the last fewContinue reading “Petition Progress!”
The Northumberland Coast Loop 