Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander opens Northumberland Line to Ashington

Heidi Alexander hailed the landmark project as a benchmark for other communities at an event in Ashington on Thursday.

Various officials including North East mayor Kim McGuinness and Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson had joined the Secretary of State on the first train to carry passengers on the line in more than 60 years.

The line will open to the public for the first time on Sunday, with the stations at Ashington and Seaton Delaval ready to welcome passengers.

Children from Bishop’s Primary School and the Ashington Colliery band were on hand to welcome the train into the station.

Ms Alexander addressed a crowd of residents and stakeholders in what was her first public address since becoming Transport Secretary on November 29.

She said: “I have only been in this job for a matter of days, but it is an absolute privilege to serve in this post and I can’t think of a better moment to give my first speech as Transport Secretary.

“Sixty-years ago, passengers here lost their rail service. They were a casualty of the Beeching Cuts. This deprived communities of a lifeline to jobs, education and the NHS.

“It didn’t stop local people from getting on in life, but it simply made life a little bit harder. Today, we turn the page on that chapter with the reopening of the Northumberland Line.

“The benefits exist beyond the commute to work. I helped to deliver the new Elizabeth Line in London, so I know investment in transport can benefit communities.

“For young people, it means you don’t have to leave the town you were born in to get on in life. This is an important milestone for the region.

“Good transport makes life better. That’s what I want to bring to communities, and where Northumberland leads, I hope others will follow.”

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I know first-hand how crucial good transport links are for communities just like this one. There is no doubt the Northumberland Line will be totally transformational for residents.

“A generation here grew up without access to the train line. For them, this is a real shift change.”

Ms McGuinness added: “One of the things that is so exciting is people will be able to use their Metro Pop Card. It will be integrated totally with the Metro.

“Our fares for people aged under 22 will be £1 to travel, which will be really transformational for young people.”

The opening of the project comes after significant delays and spiralling costs, with the total budget of the project ballooning by £130 million to just under £300 million. Various issues were blamed for the delay including the “wettest winter for 200 years” and the discovery of unmapped mine works.

Council leader Glen Sanderson addressed the issues, and said: “The worlds greatest projects all have four things in common.

“They take longer to complete than first thought, they hit more problems, and they cost more money. However, the most important is the fourth thing, which is that all the greatest projects have a great outcome.

“They show that people can work together and produce something that is going to be brilliant. This has needed a huge amount of determination and money from the county council and from central Government.

“This place has a huge future. This is a great day for Northumberland, for the region and for the United Kingdom.”

The new station at Newsham is expected to open early next year. Stations at Blyth Bebside, Northumberland Park and Bedlington will open throughout 2025, although no firm date has yet been provided.