Talks start over improving Cramlington railway station

Plans are being discussed for the improvement to Cramlington railway station.
Ian Levy, Blyth Valley MP, at Cramlington Station.Ian Levy, Blyth Valley MP, at Cramlington Station.
Ian Levy, Blyth Valley MP, at Cramlington Station.

Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy is keen to see improvements to services at the station while at the same time continuing to campaign for restoration of passenger services at Blyth and Seaton Delaval as part of the proposed reopening of the Northumberland Line.

Cramlington is currently the only railway station in Blyth Valley but for many years users have been dissatisfied with the number of trains stopping and those that do stop are often over-crowded.

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Mr Levy: “I am working with Councillor Richard Wearmouth who is part of the County Council’s Cabinet to develop a case for a more regular service from Cramlington.

"This will be put forward to the Government’s Restoring Your Railways Ideas Fund as part of a wider proposal that will potentially benefit all stations between Newcastle and Berwick.

“Rather than increasing the length of the platform to accommodate inter city services it would be a local service similar to what operates between Newcastle and Carlisle with regular stops.

"Infrastructure is therefore not necessarily the key challenge but having the openings on the East Coast Main Line to run such a service.”

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Members of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG) have long campaigned for improvements to the station, and they have been included in the talks.

Mr Levy added: “As well as working in partnership with Councillor Wearmouth, I have also recently met with Dennis Fancett of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group.

"Dennis is a long-standing advocate for better services at Cramlington and I have pledged to offer my full support in Parliament.”

Local Councillors are also backing the campaign.

Cramlington Town Mayor Lorraine De Simone said: “Our railway station serves the second biggest town in Northumberland but the service we receive does not reflect that.

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“Increased rail usage is always being encouraged as it is the most environmentally friendly way to travel but we need better access into Newcastle so that people can catch connecting trains to London and other major cities, as well as to other destinations within the county.”