Council welcomes rail timetable changes postponement

16 Apr 2024

The Council has welcomed the postponement of timetable changes on the East Coast Main Line – which would have meant a reduced rail service for the county.

Plans had been put forward to introduce a new timetable for London to Edinburgh services, with a third fast service per hour between London and Newcastle . 

However concerns were raised about fewer trains stopping at stations in Northumberland, particularly at Morpeth and Berwick. 

While the final timetable was not confirmed , a draft proposal indicated a reduced number of services each week stopping at the county’s stations, in both the Edinburgh and London directions. 

However, Network Rail has now said there were ‘too many outstanding issues’ for the timetable to be delivered in December   

Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: "This move is a sensible one - it is important to provide the best local train service for our communities, which means commuter trains that are reliable and convenient.  

"While the proposed changes allowed a businessperson to travel from London to Edinburgh slightly quicker, it was at the potential threat to our commuter trains, and that was the wrong thing. 

"We would urge Network Rail to use this time to reconsider these proposals and will continue to make the case for a timetable that is optimised for Northumberland, both now and in the future.”