Northumberland Line expected to open in summer 2024

Six new stations will open on upgraded track between Newcastle and Ashington, transport chiefs said

A passenger rail line which shut in the 1960s is set to reopen with six new stations next year.

The 18-mile Northumberland Line - between Newcastle and Ashington - will open in summer 2024, ministers said.

The county council welcomed the news and said building work on the line had created more than 100 jobs.

Half-hourly services are set for the line, also stopping at Blyth Bebside, Bedlington, Newsham, Seaton Delaval and Northumberland Park Metro station.

The route will also reduce journey time between Newcastle and Ashington from 70 minutes to 35, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Trains will run seven days a week.

Preparatory work began at the start of 2021 and it had been hoped the line would be operational by the end of this year.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper told the PA news agency that engineering challenges caused by the area's coal mining past had caused the delays.

When the scheme was first mooted in 2020 it was estimated it would cost in the region of £160m.

It is now expected to cost much more than that but the final figure will not be known until the work is complete, a DfT spokesperson said.

The project is part of the government's Restoring Your Railways scheme, which has been reinstating closed stations and railway lines that were axed in the 1960s.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper made the announcement during a visit to the Newsham level crossing, near Blyth

"Communities in Northumberland can get ready for regular train services that will better connect people to jobs, education and opportunities while growing our economy," Mr Harper added.

"Restoring lost railway connections will drive tourism, boost local business opportunities and encourage investment across our regions."

Matt Rice, Network Rail's north and east route director said: "This is hugely welcome news as we get closer to delivering a transformed railway which will support the reintroduction of regular passenger trains and connect communities in Northumberland and Newcastle."

Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson, Conservative, said the scheme was "transformational" and it would bring benefits for "generations to come".

He added: "This is the moment we've been working towards and I am so excited we've reached this point as we prepare to get trains rolling again through this part of our county."