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Signalling goes live on new rail line

Ontrackimages Ltd Lots of men in high vis jackets working on lines Ontrackimages Ltd
Freight trains were stopped to allow teams to work 24 hours a day on the new Northumberland line

Major signalling and level crossing work has been completed on a new passenger line.

Construction teams worked 24 hours a day over Easter to complete track upgrades at Bedlington on the Northumberland line.

The line will bring back passenger services between Ashington and Newcastle, six decades after they stopped.

Northumberland County Council says trains will start running this summer, but three stations, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington and Northumberland Park, will not be completed and will open later.

Signalling has now gone live at the northern end of the line.

Lots of men in high vis jackets digging a road
Construction work is continuing at Blyth Bebside, but the station will not be completed when trains first start running

About 350m (1,148ft) of track has been replaced between Bedlington North and Bedlington South level crossings, points have been replaced and four new level crossings installed.

Northumberland County Council says Ashington Station is almost finished, and a new road bridge at Newsham is nearing completion.

The cost for its construction was estimated at about £11m in 2021, but by 2023 that had trebled to £30.6m.

A picture of a road sign saying Ashington station pointing at a carpark
Ashington Station is almost complete, according to Northumberland County Council

Leader of Northumberland County Council Glen Sanderson said: “This is about so much more than a new rail service, it’s about opening up new opportunities for the county, and it is fantastic to be reaching these key stages as we head towards opening.”

Dennis Fancett Dennis standing in front of Bedlington North stationDennis Fancett
Dennis Fancett has campaigned for years to get the Northumberland line reopened

Dennis Fancett, the chair of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (Senrug), which has campaigned for the line for 19 years, said: "It should never have taken this long or cost this much, but now it’s here it’s going to make such a boost to the economy.

"I work in Percy Main, North Shields, so I'm going to take the train from Bedlington to Northumberland Park, then the connecting bus.

"It would cut my current journey time by around half."

A man in a high vis jacket standing near some construction work
Liam McLeod is working on the line at Seaton Delaval station. He plans to use it to visit his girlfriend in Ashington from his home in Newcastle
A man standing near a level crossing with his arms folded
Kevin Lamonby works near Blyth Bebside and says it will making getting to work from his home in Ashington much easier

Kevin Lamonby works in a butchers near Blyth Bebside station, but lives in Ashington.

"I think it'll bring more families into Northumberland," he said.

"There are some really nice houses going up, and people in Newcastle will move here and then commute in to the city."

Sarah Sobey a young Mum standing in front of Ashington train station
Sarah Sobey, who lives in Ashington, is looking forward to taking her children on shopping trips to Newcastle

Sarah Sobey, from Ashington, plans to use the line "to go shopping in Newcastle, and take the kids to the cinema".

"It's something we've needed for years, I think it'll have a really good impact on Ashington" she added.

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