Rail Minister says delayed Northumberland Line stations will open at 'a point in time in 2025' during Blyth visit

The MP travelled along the line by train before visiting the Newsham Station site to talk to engineers and apprentices working on the project. He also visited the Seaton Delaval Station site.

The project will restore passenger services between Ashington and Newcastle for the first time in decades.

The minister said: “I was here about a year ago and this was just a blank canvas.

“Now, as we see right here, a railway is being built, a railway station is being built, and the bridge over the top of it, for passenger services that will be open this year.

“For decades the community has been campaigning for this railway to be reopened to passenger services.

“This is our flagship program under the Restoring Your Railway project that we have. To see the progress that has been made, and the opportunities it will deliver for the community, is really exciting.”

Ashington, Newsham, and Seaton Delaval stations are currently on track to open in the summer, but the opening of Bebside, Bedlington, and Northumberland Park stations will not be complete in time for the line’s first services.

Construction at these stations has been hit by delays due to poor ground conditions.

Mr Merriman said: “I am totally realistic as to the challenges on this line. It has been a real team effort but they really had to battle the most appalling weather.

“They have also had to deal with unexpected findings below ground, an unexploded bomb but, more challenging, the mining conditions.

“We are looking at those three stations for a point in time in 2025, but three stations will be open this summer. Most importantly, the line will be open this summer.”

Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, added: “They are very much still in the program and they will get opened as quickly as we can.

“There are huge challenges and these things can take time, so better to get the line open and have a phased opening. They will be up and running very soon, I am sure.

“[Residents] can see themselves the work that is going on preparing things. It is not as if we have said we are not going to open the stations.

“They are going to happen, they are going to be open as soon as we possibly can. The commitment is there and the money is there. You will always get people who will find faults, and I guess that is what politics is about.”

Concerns have been raised about the increased cost these delays might cause. The project was forecast to cost £166m, but this is now expected to rise.

Mr Merriman said: “Whenever there is an overrun on time, there tends to be an overrun on costs. We will make sure that the costs are published.

“This is an investment into the community and to the region, so while there will be some impact on costs, I am focused on finishing the job, getting these passenger services returned.

“We will actually see any costs reborn by the opportunities to the economy and to people's livelihoods that this will bring.”

Recent construction progress includes the installation of a new level crossing at Bedlington, updates to the line’s signalling, and the installation of a 160 tonne crawler crane for Northumberland Park construction.

Ian Levy, MP for Blyth Valley said: “Excited would be an understatement. People have wanted this railway since the mid 70s, into the 80s and 90s. It has been talked about for years and years and years.

“In my lifetime I never thought it would happen. I never thought I would be the MP when we actually did this, so I am really excited.”

Cllr Sanderson said: “I think this is a great step forward in a very exciting journey that has seen decades of talking and now has got action taking place here before our eyes.

“I think it is actually going to be shown as an example of brilliance, not just in the UK, but across the world for bringing an old line back into a new line, and all the benefits it brings.”