Network Rail is to start work to upgrade and improve a key section of the Northumberland line.

Work to remove and replace a railway bridge near Sharnford Close, Backworth with a more modern, seamless structure will boost reliability for freight trains now, and make it possible for passenger trains to run in the future.

Between Thursday 25 and Tuesday 30 August, engineers will also lay nearly 200 metres of new track and bolster the supporting landscape.


The work is part of the multi-million-pound Restoring Your Railways scheme to reintroduce a regular rail passenger service between Ashington and Newcastle by 2024 – 60 years after the line was closed to passengers during the Beeching cuts.

When complete, communities in towns like Ashington, Blyth and Newsham will be better connected to Newcastle. The regenerative scheme will also open up opportunities for economic growth, tourism, and support the ambitions of offshore gas and oil sectors.

Since work began in 2021, Network Rail has renewed more than eight miles of track and recently upgraded Feather Bed Lane bridge to ready the route for faster, more frequent services.