Rail group voices concerns over impact of potential cuts to services and investment on Northumberland

If the draft measures by operators such as LNER and the Network Rail body come into effect, the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG) says this will “make it harder to introduce the hourly all-station local service between Newcastle and Berwick, desperately needed for communities such as Widdrington and Chathill”.

As previously reported, the draft East Coast Main Line timetable that would be introduced in December 2024 if confirmed would result in fewer weekday departures at its Northumberland stations (Alnmouth, Berwick and Morpeth) in order to add a third train per hour between London and Newcastle.

SENRUG has been among the organisations highlighting the impact this would have and it may not just be rail services that are affected.

In a statement issued this week, the group’s chairman Dennis Fancett said: “Rather than investing in our rail infrastructure here in Northumberland to allow even more trains to run, we understand that Network Rail is actually cutting back on some planned infrastructure investments such as power supply upgrades, which makes it more difficult to run more electric trains or add more coaches to the ones running already.

“It would also make it harder to introduce the hourly all-station local service between Newcastle and Berwick, desperately needed for communities such as Widdrington and Chathill.”

If the service plans are confirmed, Morpeth would also not see the re-instatement of direct services to Manchester – which were promised for and introduced briefly at December 2019, but never re-instated after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Fancett added: “Whilst we support the government’s objective of wanting to increase rail capacity between London and Edinburgh, this can be done in such a way as to not reduce services here in Northumberland.”

The group is urging those who oppose the draft timetable to contact their local councillor, MP, Rail North and Transport for the North, and to join SENRUG at www.senrug.co.uk/join to allow it to campaign more effectively on this and other issues.

LNER has previously said that “to enable faster trains, increase services and passenger numbers, we recognise our enhancements may not satisfy everyone, but the proposed timetable will be of benefit to the greatest number of customers across the north”.