The Northumberland Coast Loop

Call for more Chathill trains after rising passenger figures, and nearly 1000 extra passengers on the ‘Chathill Flyer’ last year?

Chathill Station has rising passenger numbers, and a great example of ‘bus meets train’ working well!

A recent article in The Northumberland Gazette ‘Campaigners call for better train service as new figures show more passengers using Chathill railway station‘ shows that stations only served by the so-called ‘Chathill Flyer’, which runs twice a day from Newcastle Central Station to Chathill, then runs as an empty train to the sidings at Belford, before heading back Chathill empty, and forming the return service to Newcastle.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) has recorded 1,580 passengers using the station, an increase of about 25% on the previous year, 2023/24, which saw 1,264 passengers using the station.

It is considered that a connecting bus service, the 0918 bus service, from Belford to Chathill via Bamburgh and Seahouses, operated by Borders Buses, has helped by providing a public transport connection to this small, rural station.

Route of the 0918 bus operated to Chathill Station by Borders Buses

This is a clear example of how proper bus and rail integration can work successfully, despite the very infrequent rail service that Chathill presently receives (only the twice daily ‘Chathill Flyer’).

The Chathill Rail Action Group (CRAG) states that this increase in passenger numbers, whilst modest shows the latent demand for a better rail service calling at Chathill station, and that stopping other trains at the station, that presently fly through would work to improve connections to this station.

The ‘Chathill Flyer’ has been busier at almost all stations on its route too

Looking at the wider picture of the Chathill Flyer, it has actually seen a significant rise in overall use looking at the figures, with increased passenger loadings at Chathill, Acklington and Widdrington stations compared to the preceding years (see below), with the only station noting a small fall being Pegswood.

The larger stations on the route of the Chathill Flyer, those at Alnmouth for Alnwick, Morpeth, Cramlington and Manors have been omitted as data does not specify the exact train, whilst these stations are only served by the ‘Flyer’, so it can easily be determined that these trains are busier.

Chathill Station: 1,264 passengers in 2023/24, rising to 1,580 in 2024/25.

Acklington Station: 550 passengers in 2023/24, rising to 856 in 2024/25, and recently featured in another blog post which suggested a closure threat in a Northern Echo article.

Widdrington Station: 2,270 passengers in 2023/24 rising to 2,652 in 2024/25, making it the most popular small station in Northumberland.

Pegswood Station: 1,500 passengers in 2023/24, falling modestly to 1,468 in 2024/25

Together in 2023/24, these four small stations accounted for 5,584 passenger entries and exits based on the above figures, this growing to 6,556 passengers in 2024/25; almost a thousand extra passengers using these smaller ECML stations, and not counting potential use of the train to and from the larger stations such as Almmouth, Morpeth, Cramlington, and Manors.

Again, this data indicates a latent demand for a better rail service at these smaller stations; perhaps operating the ‘Chathill Flyer’ three, maybe four times per day is one option, or as CRAG suggests, stopping other services at these smaller stations to give them a wider range of trains to choose from is another solution?

Northumberland Line: A £450m economic boost to the North East, but an easy Edinburgh link could further boost it?

A recent article in The Chronicle ‘Northumberland Line has developers ringing council’s planning department ‘off the hook’ since launch last year‘ has some interesting data contained within it, as the line approaches its first full year of operation on Monday 15th December 2025, and the millionth passenger is expected in 2026.

In a presentation ‘Councillors from across the North East were presented with an update on the success of the Northumberland Line, ranging from a new influx of Ashington pupils now attending Newcastle College to the carbon emissions saved with fewer car journeys. In addition, elected members at Monday morning’s North East Combined Authority scrutiny committee were informed about a huge surge in interest from developers since the line’s first year in operation.‘

This shows how the Northumberland Line has worked well to take people to education and work, reducing the number of car journeys (and therefore surely easing the issues on junctions such as Moor Farm Roundabout etc if people are taking the train rather than driving), and that land around the Northumberland Line is now primed for development opportunities with such a good rail link being provided, with the planning department having ‘the phone ringing off the hook’, implying a surge in demand for developments in the area.

‘The line is also expected to unlock around £450m in economic benefits through boosting employment and connecting the South East of Northumberland to Newcastle, and vice versa.‘

For an investment of £336.4m to date, the expected unlocking of £450m in economic benefits represents a longer term ‘profit’ from the route of £113.6m, a very sound return on the investment made, and suggests a benefit:cost ratio BCR of around 1.34, weaker than an earlier expectation of around 1.5, but perhaps unavoidable due to the difficulties and delays in opening the route, with stations at Bedlington, and Northumberland Park, whilst largely complete, still awaiting their opening dates.

That being said, by almost every metric of use, the Northumberland Line has been an enormous success, passenger numbers have been HUGE for the line compared to forecasts, with trains struggling to cope with passenger loadings, and happily proving the projects critics wrong by a huge margin.

When the next stations at Bedlington, but especially Northumberland Park open, the line is likely to see another surge in use, as the interchange with the Tyne and Wear Metro is highly likely to prove very useful for passengers travelling to and from places in North Tyneside via Northumberland Park.

Edinburgh link from SE Northumberland for even bigger economic benefits?

While the Northumberland Line is a sure success as a route plying to and from Newcastle Upon Tyne, it could also be, as this campaign has long set out, a secondary route between Newcastle and the Scottish city of Edinburgh if the existing link from Bedlington towards Pegswood was brought into use, presently only used for a handful of railfreight services, but bringing into passenger use could be a relatively low-cost boost to the region?

The ‘loop’ via Northumberland Park and Blyth Bebside could work as a secondary route between Newcastle and Edinburgh with perhaps minor upgrades between Bedlington and Pegswood?

If some stopping trains running between Edinburgh and Newcastle were to be diverted over a large portion of the Northumberland Line (Bedlington to Newcastle, so only omitting Ashington), this could be a further major boost to communities along the line of route.

Towns such as Blyth, which is the largest in Northumberland could then boast of direct rail connectivity to Edinburgh, making it much more attractive for business investment into the town, thereby creating more jobs and wealth, working towards lifting the area out from being one of the most economically deprived in the county of Northumberland.

A wider set of direct rail connections, especially InterCity ones would bring towns such as Blyth more on par with its smaller neighbour several miles away at Morpeth, which has long benefitted from its suberb range of rail connections, as headlines such as ‘Lumo reveals that its journeys between Morpeth and London have increased by 50 per cent in the past two years‘

Services to Morpeth in the above article were described by Cllr Richard Wearmouth as “Punctual, fast and cost effective, they are such an asset for our town.”, and arguably a service using the Northumberland Coast Loop would give similar benefits to towns such as Blyth, as well as areas such as North Tyneside? Maybe in the near future, councillors from towns such as Blyth may be able to make similar statements?

If you’d like to see Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park gain a direct rail link to Edinburgh, please sign the petition here to show our local leaders how strongly such a service is desired, with 1040 at the time of writing, but more always welcome to sign it!

Please visit the petition page here: https://www.change.org/p/start-a-newcastle-edinburgh-rail-service-via-blyth-bebside-and-northumberland-park/exp/cl_/cl_sharecopy_490421148_en-GB/10/679068674?recruiter=679068674&recruited_by_id=f8c66ca0-ee1b-11e6-b726-5dfd818fd527&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_490421148_en-GB%3A10

Acklington Station: Rise in passenger numbers, but a threat of closure?

A recent article in The Northern Echo ‘Acklington among Britain’s quietest train stations in UK‘, shows that whilst still in the 50 least used stations in the UK, with just 856 entries and exits in the 2024/25 railway ticketing year, this was a major increase on the previous year, which had 550 in 2023/24.

This growth is significant as the services to/from Acklington would be considered by very many as ‘poor’, the station having a total of three trains per day Monday to Saturday, and no Sunday services at all.

These comprise entirely of the ‘Chathill Flyer’, which calls once heading southbound in the morning, and in the evening calls northbound, then southbound again on its way back to Newcastle.

Considerations of closure?

A concerning statement at the bottom of the article reads: ‘However, like many rural stops, it faces increasing pressure as operators and government bodies consider the viability of extremely low-usage stations, a topic that regularly resurfaces whenever ORR data is published.‘

This ‘viability of low-usage stations’ is a veiled threat of total closure, and it is a genuine concern for many smaller stations, where services have been reduced to pretty minimal levels for decades, resulting in very low passenger figures; not just at Acklington, but other small stations like Pegswood, Chathill, and Widdrington, all smaller stops between the more major ones at Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick Upon Tweed.

Closure of rural stations like Acklington would, however likely prove a backward step, when opening of new stations such as Belford are being proposed elsewhere on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), and the recent reopenings of stations such as East Linton, and Reston in Scotland have proven highly successful.

What is instead needed is an uplift in the services that call at the smaller stations such as Chathill, Acklington, Widdrington, and Pegswood.

The recent rise in passenger volumes at Acklington is an encouraging sign of more people using rail, but the phrase ‘use it, or lose it’ is clearly apt for the situation seen here; a station carrying less than 1000 passengers per annum, year after year, will always have an axe looming above it.

Save the Stations: Travel by Train

Therefore, to help keep these stations, and to help push smaller ones like Acklington out of the ‘least used 50’, a simple solution is to go out and travel by train to or from that station; it might not be the most convenient way to go somewhere, or get back, but the only way to prove that these stations are wanted by the community is for the community to use them.

When you can, travel to/from Chathill, Acklington, Widdrington, and Pegswood by train.

With the 2025/26 year already several months in, try and travel to/from or between from these stations by train as soon as you can, invite friends and family to travel with you too, every trip makes a difference with such small numbers, so hop on the train (with your tickets of course), and help save the stations.

In addition, write to your local councillors, and your local MP (David Smith MP for North Northumberland covers all stations between Morpeth and Berwick, so if you live in his constituency, please write to him), to help make the case to keep the stations we already have, as well as get more trains serving them, and even opening more new stations at places like Belford, and Beal.

So as part of your Christmas 2025, and New Year 2026, please travel by train and write to your local elected representatives!

Let’s hope that enough people can take part to push the small stations like Acklington over 1000 passengers a year for the next round of data, so please jump on the train as soon as you can, even if just for a jolly!

N.C.L. Petition hits 1040!

The petition for the proposed Northumberland Coast Loop, a new rail service from Newcastle to Edinburgh via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park has now reached 1040 signatures

The Route

The maps below illustrate the wider context of the rail routes through Northumberland, with the Newcastle to Berwick (and on to Edinburgh) section shown in purple on the top right of the map below.

Route map of rail and Metro in North East England

Zooming into the top right quarter of the map, it can be seen that the current Ashington to Newcastle ‘Northumberland Line’ has been extended to Newbiggin as a potential ‘future network’ diagram, but also shows the existing link west from Bedlington towards Morpeth, but also the Morpeth North Curve that offers a direct Bedlington to Pegswood route too.

The North Tyneside/Northumberland Coast routes

This latter link is what enables the Northumberland Coast Loop, so a train from Newcastle to Edinburgh could run up the Northumberland Line route as far as Bedlington, before turning west and running along the route parallel to Barrington Road, over the level crossing at the former White Swan pub at Choppington on the A1068 and heading to Hepscott, the line splits in two at Hepscott Junction (shown below), where the left hand line heads to Morpeth Station, whilst the right hand line is the Morpeth North Curve towards Pegswood.

Once back on the East Coast Main Line, trains would use the same route as all other mainline trains between Newcastle and Edinburgh already do, but the modest ‘loop’ taking trains nearer the Northumberland coastal towns like Blyth gives the route its name, and could serve the many major settlements in that area well, giving them a direct route to Edinburgh alongside the highly successful route to Newcastle already in operation for nearly a year.

Image from Google Maps, showing Coopies Lane industrial estate sitting within the triangle of lines at Morpeth.

The Morpeth North Junction, where the ECML (left hand side) is joined by the Morpeth North Curve, to head over the Pegswood Viaduct to Pegswood and the north.

The Morpeth North Curve looking east towards Hepscott and route to Bedlington, with the ECML running left to right across the bottom of the image. Morpeth Railway Station is to the right

Image showing Morpeth Railway Station (centre), with the Morpeth North Curve coming off the ECML at the bottom right corner, and curving east to leave near the lower left.

If you would like to support the petition, please do so here: https://www.change.org/p/start-a-newcastle-edinburgh-rail-service-via-blyth-bebside-and-northumberland-park/exp/cl_/cl_sharecopy_490421148_en-GB/4/679068674?recruiter=679068674&recruited_by_id=f8c66ca0-ee1b-11e6-b726-5dfd818fd527&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_490421148_en-GB%3A4

Cllr Carr’s call for more carriages on the Northumberland Line – the N.C.L. solution awaits?

A post today in The Chronicle ‘Call for more matchday carriages and better parking on Northumberland Line‘ quoting Cllr Daniel Carr of Newsham rightly points to the need for more capacity on this thriving new line as it is approaching its first anniversary on the 15th December 2025.

The Northumberland Line, which is, as yet only partially complete with four of the six stations open, has despite this carried over 800,000 passengers; with many trains packed to standing room only, and in a few cases being so full as to having to leave passengers on the platforms, clearly capacity is a pressing issue and needs to have extra carriages or trains to resolve it.

Does the Department for Transport have an answer?

The train operator, Northern Trains, which has been run directly by the DfT since February 2020 (previously Arriva Rail North from 2016 to 2020), provides the current Northumberland Line trains, but there is the issue that there is effectively a shortage of the British Rail built Class 156 (built 1987 to 1989) and Class 158 (built 1989 to 1992) trains used on the line, with the youngest examples being 33 years old now, and used widely around the UK.

To try and bring more of these trains in from elsewhere would leave other lines short, and building brand new trains takes time.

Northern single unit (two carriage) Class 156 (156463) pulling into Blyth Bebside.

For the most part, each 156/158 ‘unit’ is just two carriages (as shown in image above), and a train is formed of either one unit on its own, or two coupled together to give a four carriage ‘set’, but depending on how many units are available, some Northumberland Line trains only run as single units, but where possible, many are strengthened to two units (forming a four carriage train). Three carriage units do operate in some places around the UK, but do not usually get used on the Northumberland Line.

Transpennine Express Trains via Bedlington?

One answer could be to use a totally different type of train to the Class 156 or Class 158 on a large part of the Northumberland Line, and a possible contender could be the Transpennine Express (TPE) Nova 1 fleet, such as 802213 shown below at Edinburgh.

Like Northern, Transpennine Express (TPE) is now run directly by the DfT, so although the two trains look radically different in their design, and have a different colour, in reality they are run by the same operator: the Department for Transport.

Plying up and down the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh daily, could these TPE units instead take a small diversion off the ‘mainline’ to augment the overcrowded Northumberland Line trains?

Map from Paul (via X, original post below).

As can be seen from the map above, a train between Newcastle and Edinburgh has the option of two through routes between the cities; it can either run along the current ‘mainline’ through Cramlington, Morpeth and on to Berwick, the border and Scotland, or the lesser used route via Northumberland Park, Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Bebside, and Bedlington, then rejoin the ECML near Pegswood.

Running the route via Bedlington would allow these trains to form two important functions; firstly they would offer additional seats on the Northumberland Line if operated alongside the Class 156 & Class 158 trains already running, but also would provide a direct connection into North Northumberland and Scotland, assuming a similar stopping pattern to that currently employed by TPE.

As can be seen below on the fleet data sheet, each train has 342 seats, with 318 of those in Standard class, and 24 in First class, but perhaps most importantly, they can operate on both electric power, but also diesel, meaning that the unwired Northumberland Line is no barrier to operating them over these lines.

Train drivers would need to learn the route, and trains would need to be checked that they are OK to run on the line (route clearance), but give that this route is a known potential diversionary route for times of engineering work or closure of the line (as happened at Plessey Viaduct in October 2023 due to bridge damage), this route being used regularly would therefore have wider benefits in making the railway more resilient and capable of dealing with disruptions by keeping driver knowledge fresh and current, and by maintaining route clearance for trains too.

Running 125mph capable trains via Bedlington is nothing new, as in the 1980’s and 1990’s, Class 43 HST’s were to be occasionally seen on passenger carrying diversions via this route, the only significant change today is that with reopened stations, it is possible for the successors to these fast trains to stop to pick up and drop off passengers while going around the Northumberland Coast Loop route…

Diverted HST near future Northumberland Park station in 1980’s/90’s, photo by Ian Royston.

Video still of 43109 passing through Bedlington Station on a diversion.

… as of today, Wednesday 3rd December 2025, the petition for the proposed Northumberland Coast Loop service to run between Newcastle and Edinburgh via Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park stands at 1037 signatures, so might Cllr Carr, and others in Northumberland call on the DfT to at least look at TPE trains via the Northumberland Coast Loop to ease the crowding issues, as well as further expand the reach, and the success of the Northumberland Line by using the existing link line between Bedlington and Pegswood to make a large part of the Northumberland Line a through route, not just a dead end branch from Newcastle, but instead an alternative route between Newcastle and Edinburgh?

If you agree with this, please sign the petition here: https://c.org/zThXj8HBpY

Thanks, RH.

Proposed Alnwick, Alnmouth Station and Amble ‘AAA Bus meets Train’ service – December 2025

The petition for a dedicated bus connecting the towns of Alnwick and Amble to Alnmouth Railway station currently stands at 826 signatures, can you help it reach 1000? Please click this link to view and sign the petition: https://c.org/B4RwwtHnJc

An outline of the proposed route, as well as the service pattern is explained below.

The Route

The intended route of this service would broadly follow that of the existing Arriva operated X20, but it would be truncated to just the Alnwick – Alnmouth – Amble rather than continuing to Ashington and Newcastle, which should help the service to maintain time and avoid disruption caused by traffic elsewhere.

Alnwick Bus Station – Alnmouth Rail Station – Warkworth Castle – The Amble Inn

Starting from at Alnwick Bus Station, this route runs via Green Batt to reach the B6346 (Bondgate Without), passes The Plough, then Alnwick War Memorial, Barter Books until it reaches the A1068 at The Oaks Roundabout, and from there, the route continues along the A1068 Alnmouth Road, crosses over the A1 to exit Alnwick.

The route then runs past Alndyke, over the River Aln, then passes Hawkhill, then goes under the East Coast Main Line (ECML), passes Lesbury Road End, over the River Aln again at Lesbury, turns up Curly Lane to serve Alnmouth Railway Station.

Leaving Alnmouth Railway Station then down South View to Hipsburn Roundabout, from there rejoining the A1068 towards High Buston Road End, Shortridge Hall Road End, then Birling, Coquet Bridge, and into Warkworth, going along Bridge Street and Castle Street to reach Warkworth Castle and Beal Bank Top, leaving Warkworth via Beal Bank and continuing along the A1068.

Entering Amble via The Wynd, the route passes along High Street, Queen Street and Bridge Street, then joins Percy Drive to head towards the edge of town at the Amble Inn and the adjacent roundabout. At the Amble Inn Roundabout (Percy Drive-Industrial Estate), it is intended the service would turn around to form the return bus service to Alnwick, following the same route back to the bus station.

Service frequency and timings

Due to the high variation of train arrival and departure times at Alnmouth over the course of the working day, as well as potential for trains to be delayed, the buses will not be timed to meet specific services, but instead are proposed to run to a regular, half-hourly ‘clockface’ or ‘drumbeat’ timetable throughout the day so in a worst-case scenario of just missing the bus, the maximum waiting time is just 30 minutes. This is directly based on the highly successful Northumberland Line train timetable which runs to a 30 minute frequency most of the day.

The first and last buses are also early/late enough to meet the first and last trains, with an option for the last buses to hold until the last train has arrived, allowing passengers from the train to catch the final bus back to Alnwick or Amble.

The Monday to Saturday service is half hours with clockface departures from Alnwick Bus Station on the hour and half past the hour (i.e. 06:00, 06:30, 07:00, 07:30 and then at XX:00 and XX:30 until 19:30, after which, the service could reduce to hourly).

Journey time via the current X20 timetable is 13 minutes from Alnwick Bus Station to Alnmouth Railway Station/Curly Lane. That would result in a reasonable expected arrival times at 06:15, 06:45, 07:15, 07:45, and then at XX:15 and XX:45 until 19:45, after which arrivals would be hourly), allowing an additional two minutes for any delays en-route such as traffic congestion or roadworks.

Leaving Alnmouth Railway Station, the route to the Amble Inn takes slightly longer at 21 minutes, so a departure from Alnmouth at XX:17, and XX:47 (two minute dwell at Alnmouth Station), would give an approximate Amble Inn arrival at XX:40 and XX:10.

Therefore the full run, starting from Alnwick Bus Station, through to Alnmouth Railway Station and ending at The Amble Inn would take approximately 40 minutes to complete by each bus, allowing an additional four minutes than current schedules for recovery of late running.

Departures from The Amble Inn to return to Alnwick would therefore be likely to be at XX:15 and XX:45, fourty-five minutes after their departure from Alnwick Bus Station. These buses would then be expected to arrive at Alnmouth Railway Station at XX:38 and XX:08, departing Alnmouth Railway Station at XX:40 and XX:10, to arrive back at Alnwick Bus Station for XX:55 and XX:25, ready for the on the hour departure back to Amble.

Three buses needed

To run a half-hourly service, this route would require three buses, as each would complete a full Alnwick Bus Station – Alnmouth Railway Station – Amble Inn – Alnmouth Railway Station – Alnwick Bus Station circuit in c.85 minutes, based on existing timetable and a total of 8 minutes of additional running time to allow delays to be absorbed.

Draft Timetable

Based on the above information, and timed to arrive before the first/last trains, and for the last to potentially wait until the passengers leave the train and board the bus, here is a potential timetable that could operate using just three buses to give a half hourly service from 05:15 to 19:30, and hourly from 20:00 until 23:00.

Operator

The above service could be taken on by any willing operator, either large or small, this campaign doesn’t have any preference for the colour of the bus, or its operator so long as the service is cheap to use (low fares), ns is comfortable, clean and reliable.

Northumberland Line: First anniversary upcoming, and huge success to date!

This time in two weeks, Monday 15th December 2025 will mark the first full year since the long awaited opening of the Northumberland Line to passengers. Starting with just the two stations at Ashington, and Seaton Delaval at the outset on 15th December 2024, there are now four of the six stations open, with Newsham opening in March 2025, and Blyth Bebside opening in October 2025. The next two stations at Bedlington, and Northumberland Park are due to open in ‘early 2026’, with no precise date yet announced.

Despite these issues with delayed opening of stations and of cost overruns, the line so far having cost £336.4m, the line has been a HUGE success with regards to passenger numbers, with over 800,000 now having used the line since opening, well ahead of any projections, and even the dreams of most optimistic advocates for the reopening.

Hopefully on the anniversary itself, or a few days afterwards, we can see just how close to carrying a million passengers that the Northumberland Line actually is, and that the remaining stations may at last be given a more precise opening date.

Expansions of the Northumberland Line

Plans for expansion of this highly successful line have already been put forward; such as the expansion of the line to Newbiggin by the Sea in this recent BBC article.

BBC article for expansion of the Northumberland Line to Newbiggin by the Sea

The proposed Newbiggin extension is very much welcomed, but ideally should also happen alongside the Northumberland Coast Loop, which as can be seen below, has now reached 1037 signatures on the petition in support of this route, which you can view here: https://c.org/wbhpn9ffpJ

Hopefully it’ll soon be possible to travel both to Newbiggin by the sea by rail again, after a now 61 year absence, as well as being able to travel directly from destinations around the ‘loop’ to North Northumberland and Scotland, something not yet seen, aside from special trains of the past and railtours.

An example from the past is this 4th August 1962 Whitley Bay to Glasgow train, which due to the Morpeth North Curve (M.N.C.) not existing, needed to awkwardly reverse at Morpeth station to head north, it not being possible until 1980 to head directly from the Choppington and Hepscott, run around the M.N.C. and pass through Pegswood to head directly north.

1962 Whitley Bay to Glasgow Queen Street special train, as uploaded to Facebook by John M Scott.

The Morpeth North Curve is photographed below, a route avoiding an awkward reversal at Morpeth station to head northwards from SE Northumberland or North Tyneside.

Looking towards the East Coast Main Line from the Coopies Lane bridge over the M.N.C.

Looking towards the bridge above from a foot crossing over the line.

Route of ‘The Seven Counties Rambler’ on 8th March 2025, showing the route of this railtour coming into Newcastle Central from the Tyne Valley Line, then proceeding north along the proposed Northumberland Coast Loop route to Edinburgh.

Northumberland Coast Loop rail and bus campaigns: November 2025 update

As of today, the last day in November 2025, the campaigns have made significant progress so far, which are outlined briefly below.

Northumberland Coast Loop Rail Service

Route map showing the Northumberland Coast Loop

The current campaign is centred around forming a new Newcastle to Edinburgh InterCity service via Blyth, Northumberland since the petition was launched on the 13th February 2025, to date (30th November 2025) it has reached 1035 signatures.

If you’d like to support this petition further, please sign it here: https://c.org/wbhpn9ffpJ

Alnwick – Alnmouth – Amble Bus Service

The other campaign is for a more reliable and frequent bus service connecting the towns of Alnwick and Amble, to Alnmouth Railway Station.

Both of these towns previously had rail connections to the East Coast Main Line (ECML), with Amble losing is passenger rail services as early as July 1930 due to bus competition, and Alnwick losing its rail link in October 1968, despite growing passenger numbers in the years before closure.

Whilst Alnwick has the Aln Valley Railway rebuilding steadily towards Alnmouth station (around halfway as of November 2025), this is as a preserved heritage railway, and so is highly unlikely to run an everyday, early morning to late evening rail service as ‘mainline’ services such as the Northumberland Line does, most likely running on a selected number of operating days each year.

Alnwick also has the issue that the current terminus is very much ‘edge of town’ at present; with the Lionheart station being built on the eastern side of the A1 Alnwick Bypass, about ¾ of a mile east of the original Alnwick station, due to cost of two bridges, and loss of trackbed into the original stations since closure of the line in 1968. The line has, however, had a major boost since Eden Hill Bridge has had repairs announced, allowing the line in upcoming years to extend east towards Alnmouth, so a rail connection from Alnmouth station to the edge of Alnwick by heritage trains may be possible in the coming years.

The Amble branch has no plans, as far as I am aware of, to be rebuilt, which presumably is due to loss of trackbed after extensive opencast coal workings, and later building developments since closure of the line entirely in 1969.

The need to provide a better public transport connectivity to and from Alnwick and Amble is, however, required now to help ease both traffic problems within both of these towns and more widely, as well as reduce carbon emissions, and rail links to both towns would take a significant amount of time and money, whilst in the case of Alnwick also resulting in displacement of a significant tourist attraction too..

The clearest way to provide a better public transport connection between the towns and the station is, therefore via running a dedicated bus service connecting both towns to the busy railway station at Alnmouth.

As of 30th November 2025, this campaign has 825 signatures, but it is still open, so you can sign it here if you’d like to see this bus route improved: https://c.org/B4RwwtHnJc

Thanks for visiting, and please sign and share this post, or the petitions themselves with friends and family to keep the momentum going!

The Flying Pitman? 1028 signatures on the N.C.L. petition!

The progress of the Northumberland Coast Loop petition has been phenomenal in the last few days, with 1028 now having signed it in total, with more than 30 people in the last couple of days having supported the petition!

Thank you to all who have signed the petition so far, and please feel welcome to share this post with your friends and family, to hopefully encourage them to sign it too.

If you haven’t already looked at the petition, please click this link: https://c.org/wbhpn9ffpJ to view and/or add your signature!

Rail Fares Frozen!

Please see the BBC News article for full details of the proposed Rail Fares Freeze between March 2026 and March 2027.

This is great news for the UK rail network, and is unprecendented for the last 30 years, with commonly above inflation rises each year on regulated fares, which are being kept frozen, whilst unregulated fares may have an increase, this is likely to be very small as they have tended to closely follow regulated fares.