MP COLUMN: Progress is being made on improving transport links

Pressure has been building on Blyth for decades as new houses have been built and now that we have thousands of new jobs coming to the area this will only increase.

Progress has been good addressing these challenges with road and rail improvements since I was elected in 2019 but there is still much to do.

A consultation on the proposed route for the Blyth Relief Road is about to start.

The original proposed route was not viable so more technical work has been done and an alternative found.

Northumberland County Council have included some funding in their budget and my discussions with Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport have been positive.

I’ll be doing everything I can to get this project delivered as soon as possible.

There’s also frequent congestion around Cramlington and I’m doing all I can to make sure plans for Moor Farm roundabout are progressed.

I have supported the Cramlington Councillors in their calls for the bridge at the railway station has been refurbished and I’m pleased to see that’s now done.

I raised the issue of tactile paving on the platforms with Grant Shapps and that has also been done.

Cramlington station is now a safer and more user-friendly station for everybody. The tactile paving significantly increases safety for partially sighted people.

Work has started on preparing the sites for the new stations on the Northumberland Line railway that is being re-opened to passenger services after the Beeching cuts in the 1960s.

I have pushed hard for this transformational project and I’m very proud that it’s now being delivered. The line will connect South-East Northumberland from Ashington to Newcastle with three stations at Bebside, Newsham and Seaton Delaval in the Blyth Valley Constituency.

New rail lines are well recognised to bring significant economic benefits and I am working with the Government and with the Council to make sure that these opportunities are maximised.