North East leaders are hoping to kickstart a £130m regeneration of areas that will soon be connected by trains on the Northumberland Line.
New rail services are due to start running in 2023 between Ashington and Newcastle’s Central Station – stopping in between at Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland Park and Manors. And council chiefs are hopeful that the “once in a generation” investment to return passenger trains to a route that has been reserved only for freight since the Beeching cuts of the 1960s will in turn deliver a huge boost to jobs and housing for its communities.
The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) is set to sign off on a £10m cash injection next week, which it hopes will spark a wave of extra investment across the area totalling at least £130m in the next five years.
Read More: Six new railway stations and half-hourly trains: What you need to know about the Northumberland Line
Proposals in a ten-point plan to “maximise the impact of the line for businesses and communities” include station improvements at Central and Manors, better public transport links between Northumberland Park and nearby housing estates or employment sites like Cobalt, and regeneration schemes in Blyth and Ashington. The plan also aims to accelerate the growth of clean energy industries, create “compelling visitor experiences” for tourists, unlock potential housing sites for redevelopment, and improve transport links to and from the new train stations being built in south east Northumberland.
A report ahead of an NTCA cabinet meeting next Tuesday says that the much-anticipated rail project “creates the foundation for establishing an ambitious economic corridor to act as a catalyst for transformational change” across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland. It adds: “Whilst there is evidence that rail infrastructure can be a catalyst for long-term resilient growth, it is also clear that new rail connectivity does not generate inclusive economic growth on its own.
“Infrastructure is necessary, but not sufficient – with wraparound funding a proven model to maximise and accelerate the impacts of infrastructure investment and provide greater certainty for private sector investment The Northumberland Line will have a major impact on communities that currently have no direct access to passenger rail services, increasing access to employment centres and a range of services throughout the area.
“The new economic corridor opened up by rail investment in the Northumberland Line is a unique opportunity to drive our regional ambition of creating a dynamic and more inclusive economy, one that brings together people and opportunities to create vibrant communities and a high quality of life, narrowing inequalities and ensuring that all residents have a stake in our region’s future. Inclusive growth is not an add on, it is the primary reason and impetus for both the infrastructure and the wider economic corridor.”
The current aim is to have the first services running on the Northumberland Line in December 2023, with two trains per hour.
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