Sunday 24 January 2016

Success! Trains will run to/from Riding Mill + Stocksfield from tomorrow as Northern Rail change their timetable

Northern Rail and Network Rail have listened to the concerns of local people and will now be running commuter trains at peak times. My thanks to the Tyne Valley Rail Users Group and their stalwarts (they know who they are!) for providing me with the key technical material to take to Northern in particular, with who, I have been in regular contact all the last week.
The full revised time table is here: http://www.northernrail.org/pdfs/trackworks/Corbridge_landslip_SX_v4.pdf

The key points to note are that the only extended services are
6:11: Riding Mill
6:21: Stocksfield
6:55: Newcastle via all usual stops

With a second commuter train at 7:39 and 7:49 respectively. I know local residents in riding mill and Corbridge will be delighted.

And then commuter service coming back leaving at 4:54 and 5:54 respectively. All other services are the bus connections as has been the case since the landslip, but my advice is to check the timetable regularly, in any event. This service will stick dovetail with the revised bus time table.
A few points to note: this service will be slower until Prudhoe as the nature of the service on such a track requires a slower speed, and assistance from network rail and a change to signalling. However, the key point is that there is now a service for 2 commuter trains into and back from Newcastle. It has required a reallocation of northern and network rail resources in several ways and I am grateful to them.