Multi-million-pound investment in Northumberland Line

Tue, 7th Sept, 2021 Updated: Mon, 21st Aug, 2023

The Department for Transport has given the green light to £34m in funding to reintroduce the Northumberland Line – a regular rail passenger service between Ashington and central Newcastle, with several stops in between.

Northumberland County Council is leading the ambitious scheme, in partnership with Network Rail, which is set to open by 2024 and will boost education, employment and housing prospects for the region.

The project will upgrade 18 miles of track, open six new stations, three new footbridges and new signal locations. The whole scheme is projected to deliver economic benefits of up to £470m.

AECOM is delivering the project as part of Perfect Circle.

The funding announcement gives us the green light to reintroduce this much-needed rail service, through an innovative project, which shows how Beeching cuts can be quickly and efficiently reversed.

Simon Middleton, regional director at AECOM

Simon continued, "Working with Northumberland County Council, Network Rail and SLC Rail, AECOM is helping to bring about a rapid transformation in transport choices for people living and working in Northumberland, opening up new routes for them to get to work, study or connect with different communities.”

Improving infrastructure has long been a priority on the government’s levelling-up agenda, but due to the impact of Covid-19, it’s now more important than ever, making this project a positive step in the right direction.

Mark Robinson, group chief executive of SCAPE

Mark continued, “However, vital infrastructure projects of this nature cannot succeed with investment alone though. The collaborative approach and speed achieved through our direct award framework will help to accelerate delivery, improving connectivity across the north east and kickstarting the local economy.”

The Treasury sign-off immediately releases the £34m towards the final cost of £166m, with further funding to follow once design works are concluded.

It will fund land acquisition, completion of detailed design and for Network Rail to commence early works prior to relevant planning approvals.

This is absolutely fantastic news and means we can now finalise our plans to deliver this transformational project for both Northumberland and the wider region.

Council leader Glen Sanderson

Council leader Sanderson continued, "Along with our partners, we’ve done so much work to get the scheme to this stage and the government is clearly convinced this is a project that needs to happen.

With trains running through our county into the heart of Newcastle every half hour, this will provide a massive boost to the county – in terms of opening up education, housing and investment.

It will also have a positive long-term environmental impact, helping with the move away from cars to greater public transport use and cutting congestion in bottleneck areas.

We’ve had regular meetings with the government, which have been extremely supportive, but now this funding’s been agreed, we can really get going over the next few months.

We will continue to work with DfT and Network Rail in advance of submitting the full business case in the autumn for release of the final tranche of funding.”

The announcement’s also been welcomed by partners involved in the scheme so far.

Confirmation of this funding is a landmark moment that sees the collective, long-held aspiration to bring passenger trains to this part of the north east take a significant step towards becoming reality.

Matt Rice, north and east route director for Network Rail

Matt continued, "Thanks to close collaboration with Northumberland County Council, the Department for Transport and other partners, we’ve demonstrated the value this investment will bring to the economies and communities between Newcastle and Ashington – and even further afield – and I’m delighted we can now move at pace into the final stages of development.”

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