Northumberland Line - Lessons Learned From Transforming Connectivity In The North East

If you'd like to learn more about the Northumberland Line project and how it's been delivered, you can join an online lecture from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The online event takes place from 6.30pm on Thursday 4th December and will be delivered by Simon Middleton from AECOM and Tony Lloyd from Morgan Sindall.

Click here for more information and to book a free place (but you will need to set up an account to make a booking).

The successful opening of the Northumberland Line in December 2024 has already started to generate positive change for the communities of South East Northumberland with almost 700k journeys in the first 10 months of operation. Four stations have now been opened with the final two stations planned to open in early 2026. The project is being delivered by Northumberland County Council with support from Network Rail, Northern Trains and Morgan Sindall Infrastructure under a unique delivery model that's gaining a lot of interest from the wider industry and has relevance to other major programmes including East West Rail.

The speakers will explain how the project was delivered, share lessons that will be of interest to other major projects and reflect on the positive impact new rail connections can make to a region. Here are some words about and from them -

Simon Middleton - Over Simon’s 25-year career in transportation, few moments have been as rewarding as the long-awaited reopening of the Northumberland Line. This passenger rail route in North East England was closed in the mid-1960s, but thanks to the efforts of Simon and his project partners, reopened to the public in 2024 - providing residents with faster, more sustainable access to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

“Our role on Northumberland has been influential, varied and a fantastic example of the range of expertise we have and the power of bringing this together to deliver a transformative outcome,” he writes.

Tony Lloyd - "Palmersville feels like both a lifetime and two minutes ago. This milestone was a significant one at the time for the Morgan Sindall Infrastructure Northumberland Line Project team, as it was the first major infrastructure upgrade delivered. The Palmersville Underpass replaced a well-worn pedestrian level crossing, connecting the community in Palmersville with local amenities and improving safety and accessibility. A lot of careful planning and commitment went into delivering that weekend. I’m proud to have been part of it and to see how far the team has come since."