Major milestone as signalling and track install completed on Northumberland Line

Engineers working to bring passenger services back to the Northumberland Line for the first time in more than 60 years have reached a key project milestone.

Network Rail and Siemens have installed and commissioned a new signalling system and major track work has been completed across the entire route, allowing trains to start running on the line for driver training.

Over the weekend (3 & 4 August 2024), the final section of signalling was commissioned between Bedlington and Benton Junction, where trains will leave the East Coast Main Line and serve passengers at six stations across the Northumberland Line.

This latest work follows an earlier system switch-on at Easter, where new signalling went live between Ashington and Bedlington, allowing freight services to operate between Bedlington and Lynemouth Power Station.

As well as the new signalling, Network Rail engineers have laid more than 25km of track and installed 22 sets of switches and crossings, the specialist equipment used by trains to change from one track to another. This will deliver smooth and reliable journeys for passengers when services start in the future.

This work has been a major part of the near £300m project to reconnect people living in Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham, and Seaton Delaval to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years.

Network Rail continues to support its partners in delivering this project, with the line expected to open for passengers from December 2024, with services starting at Ashington, Newsham and Seaton Delaval. The remaining stations will open next year.  

David Ball, Network Rail’s senior sponsor for the project, said: “This programme has been much more than dusting off some old infrastructure.

“Bringing this line back to life has meant renewing almost everything that remained since the last passenger service in the mid-60s, with a brand new signalling system and new track both key to getting the journey times and capacity – alongside the existing freight services - that will make this line a critical part of the North East rail network.

“A programme of this scale has brought challenges, but we are now tantalisingly close to being able to catch the train on this line again, and, together, we’re working flat out to complete the final phases of work to get the trains up and running.”