Full of North Eastern promise?
In a region soon to have three combined authorities, can devolved powers help the North East achieve ambitious plans for its rail network? GRAEME PICKERING assesses progress and proposals
Campaigners see it as one of the easiest stretches of railway in the country to reopen to passengers - it was even mentioned last November in the Government’s Strategic Vision for Rail.
But 14 years since the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG) began lobbying for the reintroduction of services between Newcastle and the town of Ashington, 20 miles further north, there is no definite timescale for realisation of the plans.
“I would like to see trains running on this line within the next three years, and I think that requires a clear decision to be taken,” says SENRUG Chairman Dennis Fancett.
Much of his frustration surrounds the fact that the infrastructure is already there. The track carries daily freight services, and although they last welcomed fare-paying passengers in 1964 two of the main stations - Bedlington and Ashington - still exist, with their platforms intact.
Adds Fancett: “You’ve seen Ashington station - both the platforms are there. OK, they’re going to need some work, but you can get someone in to dig the weeds up. It’s really not difficult.”
The route diverges from the East Coast Main Line (ECML) at Benton North Junction, around four miles north of Newcastle. It is currently used by traffic to the sea terminals at North Blyth, and also serves Lynemouth Power Station, which is in the process of being converted to use biomass fuel.
As well as a potential interchange with the Tyne & Wear Metro system at Northumberland Park ( RAIL 841), there would be stations at Seghill, Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Bebside, Bedlington, Ashington and Woodhorn, serving the adjacent Woodhorn Museum and Archives and the nearby Wansbeck General Hospital.
The port town of Blyth, the area’s largest centre of population, would be served by Newsham station. SENRUG would eventually like to see a rail link to the town itself restored, but with parts of the route (including the old station site) having been built on, it accepts this is a much bigger challenge.
Longer-term plans also include restoring the connection beyond Woodhorn to Newbigginby-the-Sea, and a passenger service linking
Bedlington and Morpeth on the ECML via Choppington, as well as the reinstatement of links to (and use of) a stretch of line north of Ashington, currently privately owned and which could provide another route to the main line.
Convinced of the benefits for communities close to the Northumberland Coast, both Northumberland County Council and the North East Combined Authority (NECA) view the core project as a priority. The county council has been leading negotiations with Network Rail, but so far the plans have only cleared two phases of the eight-stage GRIP process (Governance for Railway Investment Projects), with the council expecting more details from Network Rail on predicted costs as this issue of went to press.
NR uses GRIP for managing operational projects. It was developed to mitigate risks based on best practice within the project management and construction sectors, but Fancett doesn’t believe its application is entirely suitable for the task of reopening a rail route to passengers. In fact, he feels it actually duplicated some of Northumberland County Council’s feasibility work.
“Northumberland did its own studies from consultants, to look at whether this reopening would be worthwhile. All those studies came back and said ‘yes’, and then they had to pay Network Rail to do the same studies. It’s ridiculous.
“So I would say the early stages of GRIP should be cut out, and it’s a question of ‘we want to reopen this railway line, give us a couple of options’ - the cheapest way of doing it and the deluxe version. Exactly what a customer would get if they put out an ITT [Invitation to Tender]. They would get proposals and then they could choose what they wanted to do.”
Network Rail says its study and the council’s study looked at different aspects of feasibility, and that its own was based on examining if the infrastructure could meet demand, whereas the council’s was based on passenger usage and whether sufficient demand existed for passenger services.
It acknowledges that GRIP can be a slow process, but believes it is an important one in enabling it to deliver what the funder wants to buy. It says the early stages are about helping it to accurately understand priorities - for
When George Osborne used to talk about the Northern Powerhouse, he effectively meant Leeds and Manchester. He didn’t mean Northumberland. Dennis Fancett, Chairman, South East Northumberland Rail User Group
example, if funding wasn’t available to complete all stations on a route as well as delivering a 30-minute journey time, establishing which of the two criteria would be most important. And it says it is working very closely with the council, and shares the aspirations of the funder and SENRUG.
“I think there’s a lot more focus on this now - both from the council, from councillors, from people within Network Rail, and from other stakeholders like Nexus [the regional Passenger Transport Executive] and the North East Combined Authority, Rail North and so on,” acknowledges Fancett.
“It may be that we’ll see the railway line just reopen to Ashington, or maybe Bedlington to Ashington, and all of the other stations eliminated to start off with, just to get those costs out of the initial reopening. From a pragmatic point of view we’ve told the council that if it comes to that, we would support that. We’re dead keen to see the service open to Ashington, and then we can come back and reopen other stations later.”
Nevertheless, Fancett is adamant that time is now of the essence: “I want this requirement to be put in the system before more and more open access operators come along, wanting to run Edinburgh to London non-stop and taking up that capacity between Benton Junction and Newcastle.
“So I’m very concerned that this reopening is next in the queue. We don’t want to just keep kicking the can down the road waiting for more and more reports to come in.”
The Department for Transport says it acknowledges the work of SENRUG in promoting the case for reintroducing passenger services and improving connections between communities in South East Northumberland. It adds that through its partnership with Rail North, it is providing practical advice to Northumberland County Council on these proposals.
Peter Jackson, leader of Northumberland County Council, tells “While there is still some way to go until passenger trains are running again on the Northumberland Line, a great deal of work is happening behind the scenes to progress this flagship scheme, to which we are fully committed.
“As with any project, getting the best value for money is crucial, and we are working closely with Network Rail to ensure the scheme can be delivered at the right cost. We expect revised costings from Network Rail in the coming weeks.
“The current potential opening for the line could be 2022, although we are looking at every opportunity to accelerate the programme.”
Discussing the potential influence of the new North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), Jackson adds: “We believe the forthcoming devolution deal, with its commitment to improving transport infrastructure, is crucial.” The North East of England, like several other parts of the UK, is experiencing a change in its political landscape with budgets and greater control being devolved to city regions for areas such as transport, planning and developing the local economy.
The line between Newcastle and Ashington runs through the areas of three councils that are currently in the process of finalising their own devolution deal with the Government, having decided last year to break away from the North East Combined Authority.
Bringing together Newcastle City, North Tyneside and Northumberland County Councils, the NTCA is expected to be formally established in the summer. In its case, the proposed deal states that its elected mayor will have no direct transport powers - policy will instead be handled by a statutory joint committee, comprising the three councils along with the four authorities which will continue to make up NECA. The Mayor is, however, expected to be one of the committee members.
The document outlining the proposals states that it “contains no new powers, functions or funding in relation to transport, and as such the Mayor will not be individually exercising any transport powers”, adding that it is “made on the understanding that the current transport arrangements for the seven local authorities in the North East will be maintained”.
It goes on to add: “Nexus will remain as the Passenger Transport Executive and will serve the two combined authorities (NTCA and NECA).
“The statutory joint committee will be responsible for preparing a single Transport Plan for the area of the two combined authorities. It will continue with the work to maintain and improve strategic transport connectivity across the region and to international markets.
“The NTCA will also work with other partners across the north of England to promote opportunities for pan-Northern collaboration, including Transport for the North, to drive northern productivity and build the Northern Powerhouse.”
Further south, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling recently confirmed that £ 59 million will be devolved to the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) over the next four years, from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
TVCA brings together the councils of Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Redcar & Cleveland. With the backing of the Combined Authority, the councils are already working on transformation plans for three stations.
Described as the rail “gateway” to the rest of the TVCA area, Darlington station is at the centre of a £150m proposal that would provide greater capacity for trains through the construction of new platforms for local services to the east of the current site (alleviating current conflicting movements with ECML traffic). The aim is to allow more frequent and faster trains to and from Teesside to connect with main line services.
In March, Middlesbrough Council announced plans for a new northern entrance to the town’s station, including a glass frontage and concourse and the creation of a third platform.
From 2020 (and for the first time since the later years of British Rail’s InterCity sector), the station is due to have direct trains to London. This revitalisation project is supported by Virgin Trains East Coast, TransPennine Express and Northern, along with TVCA and Network Rail. NR has been carrying out £ 2.7m of repairs to the station’s southern entrance, much of which has been closed off for the last four years.
And at Redcar Central, between Middlesbrough and Saltburn, it’s hoped TVCA will provide funding towards a £4m project for shops, a cafe and a new ticket office.
Bill Dixon, the Authority’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the leader of Darlington Borough Council, tells RAIL: “The confirmation of £ 59m transport funding devolved for the Tees Valley is a positive step forward for our area. We can use this new investment to deliver our ambitious plans for much-needed upgrades to our local public transport system.
“This is about improving the daily journeys taken across the Tees Valley, and we will be working closely with communities to ensure we make the maximum impact for our residents and businesses.”
However, there has been some tension between the Labour leaders of the five councils and the authority’s Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen, over transport spending.
As part of his election campaign, Houchen pledged to bring Durham Tees Valley Airport back into public ownership. At a budget meeting in February he earmarked £ 500,000 towards the process, but the leaders voted against this, proposing instead that it be used to help attract more flights to the airport.
One of the leaders, Middlesbrough Mayor David Budd, says that all parties are working towards an aim of better public transport: “It is clear that there are many differences of opinion on how we achieve these goals. I am happy to sit down and thrash out a way forward for the good of the whole city region, I hope our metro mayor is too.”
A spokesman for the Tees Valley Combined Authority said: “The leaders continue to have dialogue on this, while the Mayor is continuing to take forward his plan to buy the airport. Such a proposal would need cabinet approval.”
But 40 miles further north, could the lack of direct mayoral powers and funding for transport make it more difficult for the North of Tyne Combined Authority to compete for money and attention?
With Nexus, a well-established Passenger Transport Executive, remaining an integral part of the joint NTCA/NECA structure, there is clearly some confidence that the soon-to-be two combined authorities can continue to fight their corner on the wider stage.
In November last year, Nexus secured £ 337m from the Treasury for new trains for the Tyne & Wear Metro system ( RAIL 841). Its Metro Futures campaign was backed
We believe that facilities at the North’s rail stations should reflect their role within both the network and the communities they serve. Transport for the North
We are exploring opportunities to restore capacity lost under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and 1970s where this unlocks housing and growth, eases crowded routes, and offers good value for money.
Department for Transport spokesman
by the Confederation of British Industry and the North East of England Chamber of Commerce, generating support from major businesses, employers and fellow transport operators Stagecoach and TransPennine Express. The campaign also highlighted the strategic importance of reopening the Benton North Junction to Ashington route and the former Leamside line to heavy rail passenger traffic.
Nevertheless, there has been a feeling that Yorkshire and the North West, with their bigger centres of population, have more power and influence than the North East.
“When George Osborne used to talk about the Northern Powerhouse, he effectively meant Leeds and Manchester. He didn’t mean Northumberland,” says Fancett.
He believes the voices of PTEs in big city areas have been heard more loudly in the past, recalling a decision by a previous franchise holder to begin charging for station car parking, which he says was only introduced outside those PTE areas.
“They said the PTEs wouldn’t stand for it. We didn’t want to stand for it either, but I felt very disadvantaged and discriminated against because we are not fortunate enough to live in a city with a powerful authority.”
However, in tandem with the regional devolution of powers, there have been some recent and very significant changes to the organisations charged with improving the link between local and national decision-makers on transport.
At the beginning of April, Rail North (which has worked with local authorities on strategic and economic development, as well as co-managing the current Northern and TPE franchises with the DfT) merged with Transport for the North (TfN), which has also become a statutory body.
TfN’s new status as the first sub-national transport body in England gives it the ability to offer funding to deliver projects, and it will continue to be consulted on future rail franchises. Building on and revising previous research, including that from Rail North and its Long Term Rail Strategy, it has just finished consultation on a Strategic Transport Plan which sets out its vision for infrastructure investment as far ahead as 2050. TfN explains: “In our updated Long Term Rail Strategy, which has helped to inform the draft
Strategic Transport Plan, we highlight the need for improved station and service facilities.
“Our investment programme will examine schemes including station upgrades where they might be required to cater for the ongoing growth in the number of passengers, and we will define a set of minimum station standards to apply to stations across the North.
“As detailed in the Long Term Rail Strategy, we believe that facilities at the North’s rail stations should reflect their role within both the network and the communities they serve.”
The Strategic Plan acknowledges that the North of England is a diverse area, and talks about “understanding the need for change” to close the economic gap with the rest of England. It calculates that the North’s economic added value per person is about 25% lower than other areas.
The whole of the North East falls into one of seven “strategic development corridors” identified by Transport for the North. It adds: “We are working with our local authority partners to understand fully what the key transport interventions are in each of the transport corridors.”
With the establishment of its statutory status, the organisation is also keen to make progress with its Integrated and Smart Travel Programme, which it is already developing with Northern and TPE.
This includes technology such as mobile phone-based “smart ticketing” and contactless payment, to make through journeys involving train, light rail and bus networks easier to pay for. It will also deliver improved online passenger information and a pricing promise.
The Government says it is committed to spending £13 billion to “transform transport across the North”, and describes it as the “biggest transport investment in the region in a generation”.
A DfT spokesman tells RAIL: “We are exploring opportunities to restore capacity lost under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and 1970s where this unlocks housing and growth, eases crowded routes, and offers good value for money.
“We are working with local partners to deliver new connections, more services and better journeys for passengers.”
While Transport for the North’s extensive proposals and the expression of intent from the DfT demonstrate a recognition of the need for greater investment and improvements, inevitably success will be judged by what is delivered… and when.
Which takes us full circle to the 14-year campaign for passenger services between Newcastle and Ashington, and how £ 59m of Government funding for the Tees Valley Combined Authority will allow “muchneeded” projects to make progress. Perhaps they indicate that, for the moment at least, policy is still trying to catch up with demand.
From Northumberland to Teesside, it’s clear that there are ambitious plans for the evolution of rail provision over the next five to ten years and beyond. With local and regional politicians firmly in the driving seat, how well they deal with budgets and negotiations is likely to be an even bigger determining factor than it was before.
There may be an added challenge of establishing an understanding among other decision-makers of issues specific to their area. But there is no escaping the fact that regional representation in the North East has just become a lot more local.