Opening date for delayed station confirmed
LDRSThe opening date for a delayed station on a reopened railway line has finally been revealed.
The Northumberland Line between Ashington and Newcastle began carrying passengers in December 2024, decades after the old service ended, however Bedlington and Northumberland Park stations remained unfinished.
Now it has been confirmed Northumberland Park will open on 22 February, with Bedlington to follow in the subsequent weeks.
Conservative council leader Glen Sanderson said once the final stations are open the attention will turn towards extending the line up to Newbiggin.
The overdue opening of Bedlington was blamed on ageing stonework and a water pipe under the car park and in August an extra £37.9m was provided to ensure the project was completed.
Bedlington residents reacted angrily to the delays, claiming the town was being treated unfairly, but Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery said the station would finally be opened in March and "it will be great for the town".
"It has been a long time coming, and I look forward to that day," the Labour MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
With the final two openings in sight, Sanderson said he believed North East Mayor Kim McGuinness "will be extremely generous with her money" and he wanted to see an extended line "up and running within the next five years".
"We're going to need the same amount of ambition and money to take this line further into the heart of Northumberland," he said.
