Government and Northumberland County Council pump extra cash into Northumberland Line project

The news was revealed by Transport Secretary Mark Harper yesterday, when he visited the site of one of the new stations, at Newsham at Blyth.

Mr Harper said the railway, which will connect Ashington and Newcastle, will be a huge benefit to south east Northumberland.

He added: “This will be the first time passengers have used the line for the best part of 60 years.

"You’re going to get new stations, all accessible, and it will halve the journey time when compared to the bus.

“What I think it will do is open up opportunities for work, for education, and for leisure and help to grow the local economy. I think that’s why the members of parliament locally have campaigned so hard for it, and it’s why Northumberland County Council is so committed.

“They tell me it’s going to make a transformative difference to the area and they know their patch better than I do. We’ve put extra money in and the county council has put extra money in.

“We’re all committed to getting this done for the benefit of local people.”

New stations are being built at Newsham, Northumberland Park, Seaton Delaval, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington and Ashington, and Mr Harper said he understood they would all open at once, rather than phased.

He added: “I think the plan is to get everything delivered for opening next summer. I’m very much looking forward to seeing it operating.”

The line was due to open this December, but the date has been put back until September 2024.

The leader of the council, Coun Glen Sanderson, said an unexploded bomb and an archaeological dig had hampered efforts to get the project done on time.

He said: “The position was not helped by the discovery of an unexploded bomb, which was followed by what was thought to be an ancient roundhouse, but actually turned out to be from 1957.

“The way this has progressed has been exemplary. This makes a really big statement that south east Northumberland is really important for the whole county and the whole region.

“Ideally it will open in the summer, but we don’t know what could happen. All we’re interested in is that it opens.”

Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy added: “Even if it is phased, it will all open. This has gone on for as long as I can remember, and I’m 57.”