All Aboard at Northumberland Park

The penultimate station to be completed on the Northumberland Line has been officially opened.

The first train rolled into the new station at Northumberland Park near Backworth in North Tyneside shortly after 8am on Sunday, February 22nd, opening up a new era of transport connectivity for the region.

From Northumberland Park, customers will be able to travel to Newcastle in around 12 minutes or Ashington in 23 minutes. The station is also an interchange with the Tyne and Wear Metro for onward travel and is in walking distance of Cobalt Business Park.

The new station has a single platform, shelters, lift, ticket vending machine and Pop card readers allowing passengers to use the Mayor’s Fares on the line including a new £2.50 single cap when using the region’s smartcard, Pop Pay As You Go from 1 April. Customers using Pop to change at Northumberland Park need to allow 60 seconds between tapping out and then tapping in again.

The Northumberland Line re-opened in December 2024 and Northern, which operates the services, said passengers have made well over 1,000,000 journeys so far.

Bedlington Station, the final station of the project, will open on March 29th.

Northumberland County Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: “This is another huge milestone on our Northumberland Line journey and one step closer to the completion of the current project.

“We have never wavered in our commitment to create and deliver this nationally important project and Northumberland Park has been key to this – linking us directly not just to a different county but into the Metro system

“The Northumberland Line has been a hugely ambitious project that is regionally and nationally important and I thank our partners who have helped the County Council deliver it.

“I also want to pay tribute to local residents for their patience and understanding as they’ve had a high level of disruption to deal with over the past couple of years.”

“While it’s definitely a time for celebration, work continues apace to open Bedlington next month, while we are determined to progress plans to extend the line further to Newbiggin in the future.”

North East Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Transport and Deputy Mayor Cllr Martin Gannon, said: “I’m pleased to see the Northumberland Park Station finally opened for passengers.

“This follows the Mayor’s £10.9m investment to get Northumberland Park station completed so that passengers can now enjoy a simple, affordable journeys on the Northumberland Line and Metro alongside easy access to local bus and ferry services. The Station is a short walk away from Cobalt Business Park so will be a real asset to commuters too.

“We know how transformative good transport links are for local people, and we’ll continue to invest in regional schemes that deliver positive outcomes and opportunities for residents.”

North Tyneside’s Elected Mayor, Karen Clark, said: “The new Northumberland Park Interchange will give people in North Tyneside their first national rail connection in decades, with seamless links to the Metro and local bus services.

“It will open up travel across the borough for thousands of residents every week, making it easier for people to reach their jobs, education, and training. Local businesses, including Cobalt Business Park, will benefit from better access to staff and customers, supporting economic activity and growth in the borough.

“With regular services into Newcastle and beyond, this station gives residents more reliable travel options, reduces pressure on our roads, and strengthens North Tyneside’s connections across the region."

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: "This brand‑new station creates a direct link straight into the Tyne and Wear Metro, opening even more opportunities for tens of thousands of people across the region.

“From visiting the coast to quicker access to businesses based along the network, customers can now benefit from improved connectivity and help reduce congestion on the road.

"With a Pop card, customers can tap in and out on the Metro and the Northumberland Line. I’d like to thank our partners at Northern and our colleagues in local authorities for working closely with us to deliver these integrated fares and a customer experience that really puts people first.

“This collaboration has helped ensure that today isn’t just the opening of a new station—but the opening of new opportunities for communities right along the route."

Alex Hornby, Northern's commercial and customer director, said: “We’re really excited about the opening of Northumberland Park on the hugely successful Northumberland Line.

“Here, we will provide an interchange for customers, so they can step off a train and easily connect to a Metro service.

“The new Northumberland Park station will open up further opportunities and enable more connections right across the region, allowing more people to travel for work, education, shopping and days out with friends and family.

“It’s fantastic to see the Northumberland Line continuing to have such a positive impact on the region, with well over one million journeys made on the line since it opened just over 12 months ago.”

David Ball, Network Rail senior sponsor, said: “We’re pleased to see Northumberland Park open to passengers, as the milestones continue in the Northumberland Line’s new era.

“This opening is another step in bringing real change by delivering improved rail connections for the region and reflects the hard work and close collaboration between all partners involved.”

Olivia Perkins, Managing Director - Rail, for Morgan Sindall, said: “Completing five stations out of six is another proud moment for everyone involved. Construction of this station had specific challenges considering the proximity to people's homes, the limited space available for construction logistics and risks associated with past mining activities.

“Our teams and the supply chain working with us navigated these challenges successfully and we are incredibly grateful for the patience and support given by the local community and other stakeholders. We are pleased to open this station bringing another transport link and associated benefits to the area.”