More than 100,000,000 passengers have officially travelled along the Northumberland Line in a little over a year, as announced by Northern during an event at Blyth Bebside station this past Friday (23 January).
The line re-opened to passengers in December 2024 – the first time it had done so in 60 years – thanks to a project involving the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Northumberland County Council and Northern.
The line re-opened to passengers in December 2024
© Northern
Currently, a journey along the route takes roughly 35 minutes, with services calling at Newcastle, Manors and new stations in Seaton Delaval, Newsham and Blyth Bebside.
A new station, Northumberland Park, is set to open on Sunday 22 February.
Alex Hornby, Northern’s Commercial and Customer Director, said:
Hitting this massive milestone just over a year after the opening of the line is a fantastic achievement.
It reflects so positively on everyone at Northern, who deliver the service each and every day, as well our trusted partners.
This shows just how successful the line has been for our communities in Northumberland, opening up a range of new opportunities by providing fast and affordable transport to Newcastle and throughout the region.
There’s a reason for each and every journey and it’s been fantastic to hear the line is allowing customers to get to work and important appointments, visit family and enjoy days out with friends.
With typical services utilising a two-carriage train formation; Northern is looking to double its capacity, and has stated it is exploring all available options and working with industry partners to increase capacity.
The operator currently runs two daytime services per hour on the Northumberland Line between Monday and Saturday, as well as one train per hour in the evenings and on Sundays.
Northern has also stated that work is well underway for Bedlington station and will open to customers in the next few months.