Plans to kickstart a £130m transformation of towns soon to be linked by the Northumberland Line have been backed by council leaders.
Bosses at the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) have agreed to a £10m cash injection that it is hoped will encourage a wave of private investment to create new jobs and homes along a restored railway line set to open next year. New train services between Ashington and Newcastle’s Central Station are due to start running in December 2023, stopping inbetween at Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland Park and Manors.
The region’s leaders are hoping that the long-awaited restoration of passenger services on a route used only by freight carriages since the 1960s will create a new “economic corridor” sparking a regeneration of the towns it runs through. A ten-point plan presented to the NTCA cabinet on Tuesday afternoon includes plans to unlock housing sites for developers, improve transport links to and from train stations, accelerate the growth of clean energy industries and create “compelling visitor experiences” for tourists.
