Conductors working on the new Northumberland Line have been told they do not want to get off on the wrong foot with the locals by making a common mistake when a new station opens next week.
They have been asked to ensure they pronounce Newsham as “New-sum” and not “New-sham” when they make announcements and speak to customers, after the station opens on Monday, 17 March.
Lee Cooper, area lead conductor team manager for the North East, said: “The locals are telling us to make sure we pronounce Newsham correctly. It’s really important to them so we have been briefing our conductors.”
The new station will allow people to travel from the village in Blyth to Newcastle in 21 minutes, with a peak-time return journey costing just £4.80. Tickets are now on sale.
It comes after Northern began running services on the Northumberland Line in December – for the first time in 60 years – following a £298.5 million redevelopment.
Passengers have made more than 110,000 journeys on these services since the line opened, with 16,000 recorded in the opening week.
They currently call at Newcastle, Manors, Seaton Delaval and Ashington. A journey along the entire route takes around 35 minutes and a single fare costs no more than £3.
Paul Henry, programme manager for the Northumberland Line, said: “We’re looking forward to opening Newsham station so locals can take advantage of the services which are already benefitting tens of thousands of people in the region.
“This is a game changing project that connects communities across south east Northumberland, offering a fast and affordable alternative to those who are fed up of sitting in traffic.
“After speaking to locals, we’re delighted to hear that many are excited for the station to open next week.”
Northern runs two daytime services an hour on the 18-mile line from Monday to Saturday and one train per hour in the evenings and on Sundays.
The operator is reminding all customers to buy tickets before they board the train. They can be bought from the Northern website and app, ticket vending machines and over the counter at ticket offices.
The maximum peak-time single fare – for the trip from Newcastle to Ashington – is £3 and a return trip costs £6. An off-peak single for the same journey is £2.60 and a return is £5.20.
Customers can also seamlessly switch between Metro and Northern services by using the North East’s Pop ‘Pay As You Go’ system to purchase smart fares.
The rail line, which had only been used by freight trains since the 1960s, opened to passengers on December 15, following the completion of an ambitious project involving the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Northumberland County Council and Northern.
Stations in Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park are under construction and due to open to customers later this year.
Took first return trip to Newcastle from Newsham today : "New - sham" from Central Station announcer and "Noo-sum" on the train. The locally used "N'you - zum" will come eventually I expect. Hats off to Paul and all the other NL staff for being on hand all week to guide those new to the Northumberland Line. Encouraging numbers and a full car park good indicators for the future. As for the actual journey experience: very smooth, punctual and easy to use. You feel as if you are on the continent, not in the UK. And the views from the train as you come into Newsham are stunning - welcome to Costa del Blyth!
A couple of things could be a bit clearer in the post about Newsham. Firstly, to quote 21 minutes as the travel time to the city is misleading. The average time from Newsham to Newcastle Central is actually 24 minutes., and times range from 21 to 29 mins. Only 2 trains (on weekdays) take 21 minutes. Also, Newsham is not a "village", it is a part of Blyth. The station serves the whole of the south/east side of the town from the centre to South Beach/South Newsham/Portland Wynd. It'll be great to have the station finally open. At last the Newsham Express!!!