Riding on the 'Ashington Future'

SENRUG ran a charter train - the 'Ashington Future' - around the route of the proposed passenger service on the Ashington-Blyth-Tyne line on Saturday (7th June).

The two 'public' services were sold out within days on being announced - but I'm still sufficiently important to get a seat on the VIP service. This was stuffed full on MPs, MEPs, unitary authority councillors and council transport officers - as you'll have seen from quotes and photos in the press. I was a bit disappointed that apart from someone from SENNTRI - there were few or no regeneration or economic development people there.

I liked the choice of an ordinary two-carriage unit - which would be the normal train used on a local service, and I gather that the £6 return fare is about what the actual cost would be on a normal service.

I think the ease and convenience of the route surprised a lot of VIPs - and the whole exercise (sponsored by Wansbeck DC) was an excellent demostration of the potential of the passenger service.

Incidentally - SENUG petition calling for the re-opening of the Ashington-Blyth-Tyne Line to passenger services received 1292 signatures in total and has elicited a response from Government which includes the paragraph:
“Where, as with the Blyth and Tyne line, local and regional authorities are prepared to take the lead in drawing up a proper business case for reopening a particular line or stations and identifying funding, the Government will carefully consider the case.”

Charter Train on Ashington-Blyth-Tyne Line

SENRUG announce that on Saturday 7th. June - a charter train will do three circuits of the Ashington-Blyth-Tyne Line - demonstrating how suitable the route is for passenger rail services.

Each train takes 2 hours to do the circuit from Morpeth to Newcastle, via Benton to Ashington and then back via Choppington to Morpeth.

The first train leaves Morpeth at 8.55 and will carry "public figures" (that'll be me then) and "press". The other two trains will leave Morpeth at 10.57 and 14.27. Tickets are £6 for adults, £4 children, under 5s to go free but there will be no seats for the latter. There are no other concessions. You can get on at Cramlington, but tickets are Morpeth to Morpeth, so we are afraid that if you want to get off at Cramlington there will probably not be a seat for you for the short distance back.

Contact Colin Patmore at 11, Campion Way, Ashington NE63 8JG for tickets

Ashington-Blyth-Tyne Rail - Petition to No 10 Update

SENRUG's (SE Northumberland Rail User Group) petition to No 10 to re-introduce passenger services onto the Ashington-Blyth-Tyne line launched in April 2007 has over 850 signatures - but just two months to run.

It'd be great if we could reach 1,000 signatures before it closes!

Sign the petition here

Ashington-Blyth-Tyne line - petition to no. 10

SENRUG (South East Northumberland Rail User Group) has set up an online petition to 10 Downing Street through the 10 Downing St website, to campaign for the re-opening of the Ashington Blyth & Tyne Railway Line.

They reckon they need 200 signatures to be taken seriously, and perhaps 1,000 for government departments to really take note of what we are doing. The petition is open for a year until April 2008, but it would be good to exceed the above numbers quickly.

SENRUG also have information that there are now two studies going on into different aspects of the ABT re-opening:

• A study into re-opening the Morpeth - Choppington - Bedlington Station section to passenger services, led by the North East Assembly and Wansbeck District Council. This should report back in May 2007 and SENRUG are involved as a non-funding partner in the study.
• A study into re-opening the Ashington - Bedlington - Northumberland Park section led by NEXUS and using the same consultants.