Northumberland schoolchildren have been treated to a glimpse into the future as they travelled on special train services between Newcastle and Morpeth.
Northumberland County Council and Northern hosted the events which saw Children from The Dukes School Rail Club, The Dales School, New Hartley First School, and Newcastle YMCA Mother and Toddler group take part in journeys along part of the Northumberland line where five of the line's six new stations will be built.
Read North East, which is a creative campaign to raise children's literacy levels in the North East, led by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with the North East Literacy Forum also supported the journeys. Read North East gifted books through their partnership with Penguin Random House.
The new stations are to be built at Northumberland Park, Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington, and Ashington. 18 miles of track are also to be upgraded to provide local communities with enhanced connectivity. Earlier this year the Department for Transport provided £34m towards detailed design and preparatory works that will allow a regular passenger rail service to be introduced between Ashington and central Newcastle, with several intermediate stops.
The scheme was proposed by Northumberland County Council, and made possible thanks to the Government's Restoring Your Railway Fund. That offers development funding to explore options to restore lost rail services connections to communities.
The new line is set to open in December 2023, with all passenger services operated by Northern, which is already planning a timetable that will help local communities and improve access from towns such as Ashington and Blyth to employment hubs like Newcastle. As well as opening up new opportunities for leisure, education and travel, it will also provide a real incentive for potential employers to relocate to and invest in the local area.
Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern, said: “Bringing new rail services to the North East as part of the Northumberland Line is really exciting and we're honoured to be able to connect all the communities based along the route.
“It was wonderful for the children to see the routes they will be able to travel on and enjoy in the near future.”
Glen Sanderson, Northumberland County Council leader, said: “It is great for children to get a glimpse of what is coming to the county in the near future.
“Perhaps more than anyone, this new line will bring benefits to young people as it will open up improved access to education, jobs and homes for many years into the future.
“As the line develops we look forward to sharing this journey with many more communities along the route.”
Excellent news! We only need the onward extension from Ashington to Morpeth and it will be a perfect connection.