Northumberland Line: trip planning & reports

[Willie Bee]

Just being nosy .. how many folk here are planning on going on the first train, or at least travelling on the first day ?

 

[ainsworth74]

There will definitely be several Forum members around during the first day!

 

[xotGD]

Just being nosy .. how many folk here are planning on going on the first train, or at least travelling on the first day ?

I'm waiting until the spring. Don't want my entire journey back over the scenic Tyne Valley and S&C lines to be in the dark.

 

[59CosG95]

I would be on the first train were I not travelling back from Hamburg that day! I'm sure I'll find the time to use it though...

 

[Llandudno]

I wonder where the furthest station is away from Ashington that you can get from/to using a Northern only complimentary ticket and return the same day?

Nottingham or Stoke maybe?

 

[Killingworth]

I wonder where the furthest station is away from Ashington that you can get from/to using a Northern only complimentary ticket and return the same day?

Nottingham or Stoke maybe?

It would require use of Settle and Carlisle and/or the Cumbrian coast lines, neither of which offers frequent services, with a very early start and late finish. Not on a Sunday and quite risky on any day due to current short norice cancellations.

 

[D6130]

I wonder where the furthest station is away from Ashington that you can get from/to using a Northern only complimentary ticket and return the same day?

Nottingham or Stoke maybe?

Given that you would have to go via Leeds and Carlisle in both directions....probably not as far as you might imagine.

 

[A S Leib]

It would require use of Settle and Carlisle and/or the Cumbrian coast lines, neither of which offers frequent services, with a very early start and late finish. Not on a Sunday and quite risky on any day due to current short norice cancellations.

Not an incredibly early start, as the first departure from Ashington next Tuesday's at 06:00 and the last arrival's 22:55.

 

[Llandudno]

It would require use of Settle and Carlisle and/or the Cumbrian coast lines, neither of which offers frequent services, with a very early start and late finish. Not on a Sunday and quite risky on any day due to current short norice cancellations.

Certainly wouldn’t risk using Northern at weekends, although there is a very good chance you would get another complimentary ticket….!

 

[A S Leib]

Using next Tuesday:

06:00 Ashington – 06:36 Newcastle
07:02 Newcastle – 08:34 Carlisle
That gets to Carlisle ten minutes after a Leeds train leaves, so
10:58 Carlisle – 13:38 Leeds
13:48 Leeds – 15:01 Sheffield

15:46 Sheffield – 16:44 Leeds
16:48 Leeds – 19:28 Carlisle
20:09 Carlisle – 21:43 Newcastle
22:16 Newcastle – 22:55 Ashington

 

[D6130]

Certainly wouldn’t risk using Northern at weekends, although there is a very good chance you would get another complimentary ticket….!

Shouldn't be a major problem Newcastle-Carlisle and Carlisle-Leeds. After all we're talking about Areas East and North here....not Area West!

 

[zero]

Using next Tuesday:

06:00 Ashington – 06:36 Newcastle
07:02 Newcastle – 08:34 Carlisle
That gets to Carlisle ten minutes after a Leeds train leaves, so
10:58 Carlisle – 13:38 Leeds
13:48 Leeds – 15:01 Sheffield

15:46 Sheffield – 16:44 Leeds
16:48 Leeds – 19:28 Carlisle
20:09 Carlisle – 21:43 Newcastle
22:16 Newcastle – 22:55 Ashington

What about if you buy a separate ticket from Carlisle to Oxenholme, which I have done and has never been a problem. I don't know how many Northern guards actually think about whether the journey you fill in on the ticket is possible (several don't even know where some of the stations are, as if I'm not using the ticket from a terminal station I've always written an obscure station to give myself "extra validity").

 

[A S Leib]

That gets to Carlisle ten minutes after a Leeds train leaves, so

Or, instead of going south towards Leeds first

09:02 Carlisle – 11:37 Barrow-in-Furness
11:51 Barrow-in-Furness – 13:58 Manchester Piccadilly

The 14:48 Manchester to Sheffield gets to Sheffield at 16:06, so it's not possible to go to the Hope Valley line and back from Ashington using only Northern services in a day. Maybe there's a further distance from which it's possible to reach Ashington and return to in a day purely by Northern?

 

[D6130]

What about if you buy a separate ticket from Carlisle to Oxenholme, which I have done and has never been a problem. I don't know how many Northern guards actually think about whether the journey you fill in on the ticket is possible (several don't even know where some of the stations are, as if I'm not using the ticket from a terminal station I've always written an obscure station to give myself "extra validity").

But the OP specified using a 'Northern-only' complimentary ticket....which would not be valid between Carlisle and Lancaster via Oxenholme.

 

[Willie Bee]

I started a thread last year, regatding the £10 day ticket with Northern and had planned doing the route shown below.

No doubt adding Ashington to Manors, or Newcastle would be easy

My original route from Manors, 2 minutes before NCL (if that !)

09:14 (Manors) to Carlisle (10:44)
10:58 (Carlisle) to Hellifield (12:44) .. passing the Ribblehead Viaduct.
13:12 (Hellifield) to Carnforth (13:59)
14:12 (Carnforth) to Barrow in Furnace (15:05)
15:44 (Barrow in Furnace) to Carlisle (18:10) up the west coast
18:39 (Carlisle) to Metrocentre (19:58)
20:08 (Metrocentre) to Newcastle (20:17) or Manors (20:21)

 

[Killingworth]

I daren't try getting to Newcastle by train on Sunday but had hoped to give it a go on Monday. I'm told that if I'm wanting to go north next week I'd better know about my early Xmas present. We're going to Edinburgh on the Midland Pullman on Tuesday so now I know why I had to keep that day free!

But I did buy a ticket to give some support. It's not expensive.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Seems that from Kings Cross only Anytime fares are offered unless you do a split. And of course there are no off-peak walk-on fares to Newcastle any more

 

[route101]

Looking at using the line over the next month or so. Is it full service from this Sunday?

 

[A S Leib]

Looking at using the line over the next month or so. Is it full service from this Sunday?

RTT has some paths as unadvertised ordinary passenger, e.g. for next Tuesday. It does seem to be full weekend service from Sunday though.

 

[xotGD]

You could do Hull to Ashington and back via Carlisle on a Northern free return.

 

[Llandudno]

You could do Hull to Ashington and back via Carlisle on a Northern free return.

That’s a decent shout, I wonder if you can do:

Nottingham - Leeds - Carlisle - Newcastle - Ashington and return all on the same day?

 

[A S Leib]

That’s a decent shout, I wonder if you can do:

Nottingham - Leeds - Carlisle - Newcastle - Ashington and return all on the same day?

Almost.

06:16 Nottingham – 08:14 Leeds
09:20 Leeds – 12:01 Carlisle
12:25 Carlisle – 13:53 Newcastle
14:17 Newcastle – 14:54 Ashington

17:30 Ashington – 18:07 Newcastle
18:23 Newcastle – 20:02 Carlisle
20:13 Carlisle – 22:48 Leeds
23:12 Leeds – 00:27 Sheffield

15:30 Ashington – 16:04 Newcastle
16:40 Newcastle – 18:18 Carlisle
18:24 Carlisle – 21:05 Leeds
21:48 Leeds – 22:58 Sheffield
But then the 23:39 Sheffield to Nottingham is EMR.

 

[A S Leib]

A possibility is

04:48 Manchester Airport – 05:01 Manchester Piccadilly
05:51 Manchester Victoria – 07:24 Leeds
07:48 Leeds – 10:30 Carlisle
10:54 Carlisle – 12:22 Newcastle
12:48 Newcastle – 13:24 Ashington

13:30 Ashington – 14:07 Newcastle
14:34 Newcastle – 16:03 Carlisle
16:18 Carlisle – 18:50 Shipley (gets to Leeds at 19:08)
18:59 Shipley – 19:08 Bradford Forster Square
19:33 Bradford Interchange – 20:29 Manchester Victoria (19:12 ex-Leeds)
21:18 Manchester Piccadilly – 21:33 Manchester Airport

 

[HST43257]

Northern-only, you can do

Ashington - Newcastle - Carlisle - Barrow - Man Airport - Lancaster - Carlisle - Newcastle - Ashington

 

[mad_rich]

Seems that from Kings Cross only Anytime fares are offered unless you do a split. And of course there are no off-peak walk-on fares to Newcastle any more

Ashington to Finsbury Park or Kentish Town should do the trick.

 

[NorthOxonian]

First train this morning was exceptionally well loaded (as you'd expect!) - while obviously a lot of passengers were just on it to say they'd been on the first train, there were clearly some who were legitimately making the journey.

I wasn't expecting the announcements to basically end up being a guided tour of all the sights on the route mind!

 

[A S Leib]

First train this morning was exceptionally well loaded (as you'd expect!) - while obviously a lot of passengers were just on it to say they'd been on the first train, there were clearly some who were legitimately making the journey.

I wasn't expecting the announcements to basically end up being a guided tour of all the sights on the route mind!

Going off of the crowds at Ashington, I think there were far more legitimate passengers southbound than northbound.

 

[mad_rich]

4 cars and very busy on the 0757 from Newcastle. Quite a few joined/ left at Seaton Delaval. Big crowd at Ashington when we arrived, including what I assume was the Mayor.

Also, nice commentary from the guard, pointing out various interesting things and views as we passed them.

 

[WesternLancer]

Unfortunately no one’s pulled the stops out to update this yet

Ashington Station | National Rail

Discover Ashington railway station. Getting to & from, buying & collecting train tickets, staffing, facilities, accessibility, & mobility access.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Says station not yet open

Ashington Station | National Rail

Discover Ashington railway station. Getting to & from, buying & collecting train tickets, staffing, facilities, accessibility, & mobility access.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

Decided to hop on the 1354 from Newcastle to Ashington for the princely sum of 65p with my Rail Staff Travel card.

I was surprised to see it formed of 2 x Class 156 but looking at RealTime Trains this seems to be the exception.

Left a minute or two late due to a late running Lumo and the service was busy across both units but you could get a seat. Lots of enthusiasts but quite a few locals taking their kids out, shopping in Newcastle and general curiosity.

Car park at Seaton Delaval was busy and quite a few got off and on.

Busy at Ashington with plenty Northern staff giving out mince pies and other Christmas treats.

This is a line into the most populous part of Northumberland and I have no doubt it will be a great success.