Ahead of services starting on the new Northumberland Line between Newcastle-on-Tyne and Ashington next Sunday, 15th December, Northern has released footage of the 18-mile line route recorded from the cab of one of its trains.

The ambitious £298.5m project to reopen the line for the first time in 60 years involved the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Northumberland County Council, and train operator Northern.

Services will initially call at Newcastle-on-Tyne , Manors, Seaton Delaval and Ashington, with other new stations at Newsham, Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, and Northumberland Park still under construction and expected to open next year.

Ahead of the opening, Northern has released time-lapse footage of the line recorded from the cab of one of its trains.

Yesterday, Thursday, 12th December, a group including Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and North East Mayor Kim McGuinness travelled on one of the final trial services before being given a tour of Ashington station.

To operate the services, 53 drivers and more than 75 conductors have received training, and a new staff facility has been built to accommodate them, and to ensure they have an in-depth knowledge of the new route, they have been doing test runs since August.

Although the Northumberland line is not a completely new line, in recent years it has only been used by freight trains and required upgrading and a state-of-the-art signalling system installed by Network Rail before it was ready for passenger use..

The initial service will comprise two daytime services an hour from Monday to Saturday and one train per hour in the evenings and on Sundays using Class 158 trains that have space for bicycles and wheelchairs, accessible toilets, free onboard Wi-Fi, and charging points. The maximum peak-time fare from Newcastle to Ashington is £3 single and £6 return, with off-peak singles being £2.60 and return £5.20.

To provide integrated fares for multi-modal journeys throughout Tyneside, Northern has worked with Nexus, the owner of the Tyne and Wear Metro, and Northumberland County Council by allowing customers to purchase smart fares using the North East’s Pop ‘Pay As You Go’ system.

“It’s great to see the railway network expanding and connecting more people in the North East.
“Ticketing on the Northumberland Line will work seamlessly with the Tyne and Wear Metro, simplifying travel and offering greater convenience for our customers.
“We’re proud that this will be the first place in the North of England to introduce Pay As You Go ticketing on National Rail services.”

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of Rail Delivery Group