Rail campaign groups welcome reopening of the Northumberland Line between Ashington and Newcastle

Dennis Fancett, chairman of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG) was among the passengers on board the first service from Newcastle to Ashington on Sunday morning.

He said: “It’s been a long campaign, and many, many people just laughed at us when we first proposed it and said it could or would never happen.

"But here we are on board the train, and this is a good opportunity to thank all those who have helped us along the way, many of whom have now moved on from the positions they held several years ago.

"Particular thanks however are due to the team in place at County Hall who’ve faced an astonishing array of unexpected technical issues during the construction phase over the last two years but have driven the project through.

"And of course, we want to thank our SENRUG members, without whose support this campaign group could not have continued to exist. I think most people would acknowledge that if there had been no SENRUG, there would be no opening today.

The line connects Ashington with Newcastle, and opens access to jobs, education, health facilities and leisure.

At the moment, there is one intermediate station at Seaton Delaval, but other stations at Bedlington, Blyth-Bebside, Newsham and the all-important metro interchange at Northumberland Park are under construction and will be added progressively during 2025.

Even when the line is open in full, SENRUG’s campaign work will continue.

“It has always been our aspiration to extend on to Woodhorn and Newbiggin” said Dennis, “and we are heartened that both the Conservative leader of Northumberland County Council Glen Sanderson, and the Labour North East Mayor Kim McGuinness mentioned the same in their opening speeches last Thursday.

"Our other campaigns include a rail link from Blyth town centre to Newcastle Airport via Northumberland Park, and for an hourly local stopping service between Newcastle and Berwick along the East Coast Main line.

“But today is a day of celebration. We expect this line to be well used and to transform local economies along the south east Northumberland corridor that it serves. We are delighted to be here, welcoming this first train of the new service.”

The national campaign group Railfuture also welcomed the start of passenger services on the reopened line.

“This is absolutely brilliant,” said spokesman Bruce Williamson. “It’s down to the hard work of SENRUG chair Dennis Fancett and others who campaign tirelessly against the odds to make this happen.

"These reopenings are all too rare these days, yet the few that we have seen have all exceeded expectations. Rail is really the only way to attract people out of their cars and provide an environmentally friendly way to travel. I have no doubt that the line will be an enormous success.”