Former Northumberland rail line to reopen to walkers after 71 years

17 February 2024

Joanna LonsdaleBBC Newcastle

News image — One of the many bridges still in place on the line

BBC An old railway tunnel with the track above — One of the many bridges still in place on the line

A section of a railway which closed 71 years ago should soon be reopened for public use.

Volunteers hope walkers will be using the first section of the Alnwick to Cornhill line in Northumberland by the summer.

Work is to begin shortly to install a new bridge and clear ditches.

The line opened in 1887, but served sparsely populated rural areas and was never profitable or well-used, and finally closed in 1953.

Crowds gather around an old steam train at Alnwick station — The opening of the line in 1887 at Alnwick station

Colin Davidson, the chair of the Borderline Greenway Community Interest Group which is working to bring it back into public use, said it was an "exciting moment".

"We've done a lot of talking over the last two or three years so it'll be great to see something tangible," he said.

"It's time there was something for people to see, that progress is being made," he said.

Colin Davidson standing above an overgrown railway track — Colin Davidson said it was about preserving it for future generations

Improving the drainage will be the first priority, Mr Davidson said

"There's been zero maintenance done for the last 71 years which means the original ditches on either side are full of debris and leaf mould which means the track is wet, very wet in places," he said.

The initial plans will also see a bridge replaced right at the start of the route at Alnwick Greensfield and a stone track laid.

Colin Davidson A leafy track which was a railway line with a bridge above — Much of the track is still accessible even after 70 years

John Mallon/North Eastern Railway Asssociation A black and white image of a railway track from the 1950s — The same spot taken after the line closed in 1953 when the track was still in place

The long term aim would see the whole of the old line from Alnwick to Cornhill reopened as a greenway suitable for walkers, cyclists, horses, pushchairs and wheelchairs.

It would also connect with Route 1 of the National Cycle Network creating a 100-mile loop through north Northumberland encouraging cyclists to explore more of the county rather than just staying on the coast.

But for Mr Davidson it is also about saving the industrial heritage of the county.

"For me personally it's about the fantastic engineering that was done for a railway which shouldn't have been built and never made a penny," he said.

"It's mostly still there and it needs, for me to be preserved for future generations, In 25 years it won't be possible to save it because nature is taking over so we need to act now."