Council set to consider rail-line funding increase
26 Aug 2025
The Council is set to consider extra funding to ensure the Northumberland Line rail project can be completed in full as originally intended over the coming months.
It comes as Bebside Station is due to open in the next few weeks in October. It will be the fourth station to open on the line and brings up another milestone for the project, which has seen well over 500,000 passenger journeys in its first eight months since opening.
The final two stations at Bedlington and Northumberland Park, which is in North Tyneside, are due to open early in 2026.
At its meeting on September 3rd, the Council’s Cabinet is being recommended to request that full Council approves an overall increase to the value of the project by £37.9 million.
This would be achieved by increasing the Council’s contribution by £10m and accepting a further contribution of £17m from the Department for Transport towards the overall project, and a further ask of £10.9m from the North East Combined Authority, to support completion of Northumberland Park Interchange in North Tyneside where the new station connects with Metro services. The North East CA’s Cabinet meets on September 23rd.
Key reasons behind the increase include the final cost of mining remediation work, particularly at Northumberland Park, which was always one of the project’s biggest risks due to the unknown number of mine workings that needed to be treated.
To mitigate delays due to weather and ground conditions encountered on the first three stations the works were accelerated to enable them to open as early as possible to start realising the significant benefits associated with the new passenger rail service. The budget for accelerating the opening of the three stations was based on estimates and the final cost for the acceleration was higher than estimated.
The report to Cabinet states that the previous budget reset was based on point estimates for the final cost of contracts, taking account what was known at that time. Agreements for the final contract costs for rail infrastructure works have been reached, and the final negotiated costs are higher than was previously estimated.
County Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: “This line is bringing massive benefits not just in terms of travel, but also investment, educational and job opportunities, as well as enhanced public transport connectivity across the wider region.
“A huge amount of work continues to ensure all remaining stations can be opened as quickly and safely as possible with teams literally working around the clock to get the project complete. We’re very much looking forward to Bebside opening in a matter of weeks.”
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “This Government has backed the Northumberland Rail Line with the funding it needs to be delivered and now it’s time to finish the job in order to unlock growth, revitalise communities and provide new transport links for thousands of people.”
“Together with the dedicated efforts of the Council and the North East Combined Authority, we’re delivering on our promise to build a modern transport system Britain needs and deserves as part of our Plan for Change.”
Jason Wade, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re pleased to see that people have been making the most of Northumberland Line services since the line reopened, as they have already made more than 500,000 journeys.
“Trains are proving to be particularly popular during school holidays and weekends, but we have also seen growing demand from commuters.
“At Northern, we remain focused on running a safe, reliable and affordable service for our customers on this route and are working hard to prepare for the opening of Blyth Bebside.”