The re-instatement of passenger rail services on the Blyth & Tyne Railway, which were withdrawn in 1964, has been considered for a number of years by council chiefs in Northumberland and last year consultants Scott Wilson (Scotland) Ltd were employed to look at the feasibility of the project; there response has been positive. A significant finding of the study is that operationally the economics of the project will be significantly affected by the number of stations on the route; any more than four or perhaps five stations will require the use of additional train sets, thereby significantly increasing operational costs. While the demand and revenue may increase if other stations are added, the overall economics of the scheme would be adversely affected. Due to this the consultants recommend a service of two trains per hour between Newcastle Central and Ashington (Central) with intermediate stops at Backworth, Newsham, and Bedlington, operating on six days a week (excluding Sundays). According to Alan French, Chief economic and environment services officer for Wansbeck Council; "Capital investment in excess of £10 million would be required from public sector sources to allow the preferred scheme to be taken forward". Other potential station sites include Newcastle Central, Backworth, Seaton Delaval, Newsham (South Blyth), Bebside (West Blyth), Bedlington, Ashington (Central), Ashington (South), and Woodhorn. This scheme is also well supported by Railtrack.
Jobs may not be easier to come by but they will be easier to get to as a planned rail-link to North Tyneside has been earmarked for £14.5m. Environment minister Micheal Meacher has revealed that cash is available for re-opening the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne railway, which would see passenger trains return for the first time since 1964. Stations in Ashington, Bedlington and South Newsham would carry commuters to Backworth in North Tyneside, giving easier access to jobs on industrial estates like Silverlink. Mr Meacher said the plans had not come from "down south" but had been developed by local people. "Local people should have a major say in how their transport needs should be met," he added. Cynthia Bartley, head of Wansbeck's Action Team for Jobs, told the News Post Leader in October how transport in the area was holding the unemployed back. Mrs Bartley said: "I think transport is one of the big problems in that Wansbeck get an awful lot of links in the Northumberland area, but not the A19 corridor between Ashington and North Tyneside." Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy was a 16-year-old passenger when the line was last used. He has campaigned in Parliament for the past three years for the line to be re-opened. He said: "I think it's really brilliant news for the region, for Wansbeck and Blyth in particular, it's something I have campaigned long and hard for and I am delighted. "It looks now that the scheme is about to come to fruition." Mr Murphy also said it was a known fact that transport links encourage businesses to set up in an area. The plan still has to be formally approved by the Strategic Rail Authority, which officials expect in the coming weeks.
Local councils are celebrating the approval for a £14.5m scheme to build infrastructure and stations to allow the reintroduction of passenger trains on the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne railway. The approval will pay for infrastructure improvements and new stations at Backworth, Blyth (Newsham South), Bedlington and Ashington. Coun Michael Davey, Leader of Northumberland County Council, said: "We've worked very hard to stress the need for the reintroduction of services and I'm delighted that this has been recognised by the Government. Increased passenger rail services are the key to the success of our economic regeneration plans for Northumberland." "Once the work is complete, residents in south east Northumberland will have much easier and more affordable access to jobs in the region. Businesses in the area will also benefit by the ability to recruit staff from a wider catchment area as more people become able to travel into this area of the county to take up jobs on offer," added Coun Davey. Coun Peter Moran, deputy leader of Wansbeck Council and cabinet economic portfolio holder, said it was tremendous news and a timely boost to the campaign by Wansbeck, Blyth Valley and Northumberland County councils to get the line re-opened. “The economy of the area and so many people in South East Northumberland would benefit from restoring passenger trains on the line and the announcement is a clear indication that the Government shares our views.” Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy and Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell now plan meetings with local council partners to speedily progress the scheme. They will also be seeking talks with Government ministers to press the case for the restoration of the rail service. Trains stopped running on the line in the 1960s during the infamous Dr Beeching axing of rail services around Britain. Supporters of the re-opening plan claim there would be enormous economic, social and transport benefits for the area if the service was restored.
The golden age of the railway may be brought back to south east Northumberland should a county proposal be given the go-ahead. The Local Transport Plan, which has been approved by the County Council's Scrutiny Committee (Strategy), promotes the re-opening of the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne Railway as a major scheme to be financed through a combination of the Rail Passenger Partnership cash for heavy rail elements and LTP money for infrastructure improvements and upgraded access for pedestrians and the disabled. Councillors are optimistic the scheme will get the go-ahead despite a failed grant bid to the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority in February when the SSRA demanded more financial details and a finance commitment from Railtrack for heavy rail capital works before funding would be made available. It is proposed to bid for £2.4m over a five year period to enable the project to be commenced before the end of the LTP period in 2006. Following a lengthy consultation process, the county authority has decided to submit its finalised LTP, which also includes proposals for a Morpeth Northern Bypass, Pegswood Bypass and a number of road improvement and maintenance schemes to Government Office North East. The railway link has been supported by local MPs Denis Murphy of Wansbeck and Ronnie Campbell of Blyth Valley.
A multi-million pound scheme could see the Metro system extended up to Northumberland. Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell has been in discussions with transport company Railtrack over establishing the travel system on existing rail lines. He said: "There is a possibility of the Metro going through Blyth and Ashington. "There has been an experiment with running it on heavy rail tracks in Sunderland and it looks as if it is going to be a success. "If it is working then there is no reason why it can't be done on the same sort of lines in Northumberland." The proposal, should it get the go-ahead, would see three stations established for the service - Ashington, Bedlington Station and one in Blyth Valley. The issue of running passenger trains between Ashington and Newcastle for the first time in more than 35 years has been long mooted. Consultants were employed last year to look at the feasibility of re-opening the 15-mile Blyth and Tyne railway line which was axed in 1964. And a positive report paved the way for discussions about re-introducing the link at a cost of around £10 million. But now establishing the old links as a Metro system rather than ordinary trains seems to be favoured. Mr. Campbell added: "I would advise the county council to go for it. It will cost a lot more money than the ordinary trains, but if Sunderland and the airport can get it, I don't see why we can't get it. "I have always said that I would like to see the Metro extended to South East Northumberland. But it all depends on finance and cost." Earlier this year Northumberland County Council submitted a bid to the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority for Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) funding (which was rejected: ed). And council chiefs were also looking to One NorthEast as a possible source of funding. A spokesman for Railtrack said: "We have been looking at developing the passenger rail opportunities in Northumberland for a couple of years. "Northumberland County Council identified priority sites for stations in Ashington, Bedlington and Newsham "We are supporting these conclusions and the county council is now taking things forward."
One of our founder members did a feasibility study for a school project, which was sneakily submitted to Northumberland District Council in the early 90's, and the finding of this was very positive. This actually looked into the possibility of re-routing some of the Regional Railway's North East (now Northern Spirit) services operating between Newcastle Central and Morpeth off the ECML. Regarding the possibility of the Metro extension The Northumbria Rail Group are worried about the impact this could have on Railtrack's use of the B&T; if the plans envisage running an intensive service as currently operate on the Tyneside areas this could have an impact on the operation and pathing of the trains operated by English, Welsh and Scottish Railways on behalf of Alcan Smelting and Power Ltd, which could in turn have an impact on production at their Lynemouth plant, also the Sunderland Direct line is still under construction and as such the concept of Metro units running on BR metals has not been fully tested.