sixtyyears | blythhub.com

Sandie Shaw was the UK number one with Always something there to remind me, the last time a passenger train stopped at a platform in Newsham!

Over sixty years have gone by since that day, but now, the first of Blyth's two new railway stations is preparing to welcome it's first passengers.

Newsham Station will be the third new facility to open on the Northumberland Line in mid March 2025. The exact date is of course yet to be revealed.

The station is located off South Newsham Road and is expected to be served by a half hourly service to Newcastle city centre.

The second station which will serve Blyth at Bebside is due to open later in the year.

Well over 100,000 people have made the journey to Newcastle since the first stations on the line, at Ashington and Seaton Delaval opened in December 2024.

Leader of Northumberland County Council said "Every challenge that could have been thrown at the project has been thought through, managed, and then dealt with and we’re delighted to be just days away from opening now.

“The new, nationally important, rail line has proved extremely popular carrying well over 100,000 passengers so far and will save the daily grind through traffic for thousands of motorists.

“We hope to see the line fully open soon, and then we want to see an extension to Newbiggin. We remain fully focused on the end result which will be truly transformational for our county".

Newsham Station as it looked shortly before closure in 1964 and during demolition. All three of Blyth's stations fell victim to the unfathomably short sighted Beecham report and Conservative government of the day, who slashed local rail services across the country during the 1960's.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “Tens of thousands of people have already benefited from the historic reopening of the Northumberland Line, and I’m pleased many more will do so when Newsham station opens next month.

“The line is having a transformational impact on a region that was unserved by the railway for 60 years, stimulating economic growth in line with the Government’s Plan for Change, providing better travel options for local people and opening up new opportunities for businesses.”

Olivia Perkins, Managing Director from Morgan Sindall Infrastructure-Rail, said, "The opening of Newsham railway station is a proud achievement for our team and supply chain.

“Once again, there has been a lot of hard work to get to this point. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. There are more milestones to come on the Northumberland Line Project, and we remain dedicated to delivering the remaining stations with minimal disruption to passengers and the local community in mind.”

Paul Henry, Northern’s Programme Manager for the Northumberland Line, added: “We are looking forward to opening Newsham station following years of hard work and planning.

“The line is already having a significant impact on the region, opening up new opportunities to tens of thousands of people in south east Northumberland who are now using our services to travel for work, school and days out.”

How many of us remember sitting on a bus to get to the Haymarket for well over an hour? it used to be standard practice if you wanted to pop to Newcastle for a spot of shopping. Hopefully, come March, those days are over.