Council seeks extra £38m needed to finish railway

The opening of Bedlington and Northumberland Park stations has been delayed until 2026

A local authority has said an extra £37.9m is required to complete a recently reopened railway.

Next week, councillors at Northumberland County Council will be asked to agree to raise the budget required to complete the Northumberland Line, between Ashington and Newcastle, to £336.4m

The line was reopened in December after being shut for 60 years, with passenger numbers high despite only half the six planned stations being in operation.

Conservative council leader Glen Sanderson said "the benefits" of the railway outweighed the costs "so much".

The council said the money would come from various sources, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It said it would provide £10m itself, which Sanderson said would come "savings and reorganised spendings", while the Department for Transport would provide £17m.

It has also requested £10.9m from the North East Combined Authority (NECA).

'Massive benefits'

The local authority said the rise in costs were due to various reasons including previously unknown mine workings which needed to be treated.

It also said works were speeded up to allow some stations to open as early as possible, with the costs for that acceleration "higher than estimated".

Sanderson said he believed the council had kept a "pretty good lid on the costs of the project".

"This is the right thing to do," he said, adding that the railway line was bringing in "massive benefits" in terms of travel, investment and educational and job opportunities.

NECA said it will discuss the request for more money next month.

The council also said Blyth Bebside, the next station to open on the line, would welcome passengers in October.

The final two stations at Bedlington and Northumberland Park are due to open early in 2026.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said the railway would "unlock growth, revitalise communities and provide new transport links for thousands of people".