In the last few hours, Gareth Dennis has uploaded a short segment of his interesting Railnatter 322 about the ECML between Newcastle and Edinburgh, if you’d like to view the full episode, drop back to our previous blog post covering it here. The short segment from Newcastle Central Station to Cramlington can be viewed below.Continue reading “Railnatter 322: Newcastle Central to Cramlington, and NO to 1500v DC to Ashington?”
Category Archives: Northumberland Line
Northumberland Coast Loop Update, September 2026
On 1st September 2026, I emailed a number of local politicians and other local campaign groups with regards to the Northumberland Coast Loop; which would be a new rail route connecting Newcastle Upon Tyne to Edinburgh via North Tyneside and South East Northumberland. This email was circulated as a group to: Mr A. Ford, NEPTUG,Continue reading “Northumberland Coast Loop Update, September 2026”
Railnatter No. 319: The Tyne and Wear Metro, inc Washington extension and Metro to Morpeth?
On Wednesday 2nd September 2026, episode 319 of the long-running Railnatter series by rail engineer Gareth Dennis aired on YouTube (also available where you get your podcasts). As ever, it was a very interesting episode, covering a brief history of the system from its origins as the Tyneside electrics running on third rail (a liveContinue reading “Railnatter No. 319: The Tyne and Wear Metro, inc Washington extension and Metro to Morpeth?”
Fantastic fifteen hundred and one!
Please visit the petition page to see the latest update on reaching 1501 signatures. Shortly I’ll be writing to local councillors, MP’s and other organisations such as Railfuture to seek their support for the route given the now substantial and growing support for the Newcastle – Northumberland Park – Blyth Bebside – Pegswood – AlnmouthContinue reading “Fantastic fifteen hundred and one!”
‘The Tynesider’ Railtour 2026: ‘Tangmere’ on the Bedlington Balloon Loop. West from Bedlington before the Newbiggin extension?
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?”
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”
Ian Lavery MP calls for the Newbiggin extension; can the Northumberland Coast Loop come soon too?
A recent article in The Chronicle details Ian Lavery MP, asking for a debate on the expansion of the hugely popular Northumberland Line from Ashington to Newbiggin by the Sea. In the article, it quotes Mr Lavery MP with one and a half million journeys having been taken on the line since it opened onContinue reading “Ian Lavery MP calls for the Newbiggin extension; can the Northumberland Coast Loop come soon too?”
A1 Safety Campaign: Modal shift onto the ECML being overlooked for transporting people and goods in near perfect safety?
Following a spate of recent serious incidents on the A1 in Northumberland, a new safety campaign called ‘NASA’ (Northumberland A1 Safety Alliance) has formed. While making the A1 safer is undoubtedly an admirable and much needed aim for everyone, is using the parallel ECML being overlooked as an option to reduce traffic on the A1Continue reading “A1 Safety Campaign: Modal shift onto the ECML being overlooked for transporting people and goods in near perfect safety?”
Blyth, Northumberland Transport Survey June 2026
Answers to following questions: Questions for all! What do you want to see from public transport in Northumberland? Which rail and bus routes would you like? Would you like to see buses running earlier and later in the day, possibly even night buses? Have you got any suggestions you’d like to put forward? Please leaveContinue reading “Blyth, Northumberland Transport Survey June 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?”
