Plans to extend the Northumberland Line to Newbiggin confirmed to be under consideration

The £300m railway is set to open to passengers for the first time since the 1960s on Sunday.

Despite the fact that just two of the six stations will be in operation, the leader of Northumberland County Council and the North East mayor have both revealed they would like to see the railway go even further.

Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “In months, the line will be running in full and in years we want to see it extend, perhaps to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea next.

“We have put into the NECA (North East Combined Authority) spending programme money to look seriously at going on to Newbiggin. The town will grow hugely as a result of the line and this will benefit the whole county.

“I’m incredibly proud and so impressed with the fact that we have managed to get this far. It is a magnificent result.”

Ms McGuinness added: “We have to be ambitious. We need to be thinking about what is next.

“You can feel the buzz in the air today and you can see all the people who have come down to see the train. It is really transformational to this part of south east Northumberland, but we want to go further.

“The Local Transport Plan is the biggest conversation about what transport looks like in the North East we have ever seen. We have already had 8,000 people take part and we can see a clear ambition that we and the people of the region have.”

In June, council deputy leader Richard Wearmouth suggested the line could be extended further.

It followed details of a £110m investment fund from US equity firm Blackstone as part of the deal to build an AI datacentre campus at Cambois near Blyth.

The money has been earmarked for job creation and driving growth, with the first £30m expected next year.

At the time, Coun Wearmouth said: “There are opportunities to link with our own strategic investments. That might be extending the Northumberland Line.

“I’m very much expecting that we will see feasibility work start up on that in due course, for example extending the line to somewhere like Newbiggin and delivering additional stations along the route. “