Passenger services returned to Bedlington railway station on 29 March 2026, for the first time since Dr Beeching swung his infamous axe. I decided to pay a visit on the inaugural day. Here’s the departure board at Newcastle Central Station, displaying trains to Bedlington for the first time since 2 November 1964:
Back on the Northumberland Line
Bedlington is the sixth and final station to reopen on the current phase of the Northumberland Line, only five weeks since the fifth station, Northumberland Park, opened on 22 February 2026. You can read about that here. On that day, my outward train was 17 minutes late, and I got a £1.54 ‘Delay/Repay’ refund. A win is a win. On arrival at the station, Northumberland Line staff were handing out Easter eggs to mark the birth of the station. A nice gesture.
Is this the right place?
Running-in boards remind passengers which station they’ve arrived at.
White feather
As my train prepared to depart, the green signal had the adjacent “feather” illuminated. This confirmed to the driver that he would be taking the right hand track towards Ashington at Bedlington Junction ahead. The left-hand track leads to Morpeth and the East Coast Main Line.
Survivor
Bedlington station first opened in 1850, as part of the Blyth & Tyne (B&T) railway system. Despite passenger services ceasing in 1964, the line has remained open for freight service. The station waiting room has survived, and is being refurbished.
Dividing line
The station level crossing divides East Sleekburn from the town.
Station Road
A new suburb called Bedlington Station grew up around the railway station after it opened. But the actual town centre is about a mile away, and is known as West Bedlington. I headed west along Station Road towards the town centre. This is a tough old mining town, and a window display tells the sad tale of a tragic episode in the region’s history.
St Cuthbert’s Church
I reached Front Street West, crossed into Church Lane, and entered the grounds of The Church of St Cuthbert. The church is central to the history of Bedlington.
What’s the story?
Bedlington is probably named after someone called Bede, but not the venerable one. Bede himself chronicled the life of St Cuthbert. Peter Sagar tells the story of the saint’s early life here. Cuthbert spent a night at this church in 1069. Or at least his mortal remains did. Cuthbert had been dead since 867. But, less than three years after being crowned King at Westminster Abbey in 1066, William I headed north in pursuit of Edgar Ætheling, the last Wessex claimant to the English throne. Edgar refused to meet William in battle, so William responded with a shock and awe campaign known as the Harrying of the North. The monks of Durham fled north, first to Jarrow, then Bedlington, and finally Lindisfarne.
Do not disturb
Poor old Cuthbert didn’t rest in peace; his body was carted around the North East for almost 900 years. Some of this came as a result of invasions, such as the one described above. But his cultists couldn’t help rebuilding his shrine, or reopening his grave, time after time. The last occasion was in 1827, when the ‘Treasures of St Cuthbert’ were removed and put on display. The indignity of it. Regardless of this, the Prince Bishops of Durham so valued Bedlington and Lindisfarne that they retained them as exclaves of the County Palatine of Durham until 1844. Bedlingtonshire, as it was known, was actually the parish of Bedlington. It was a large parish, as can be seen in the yellow highlight in this map:
A long way from home
So, Bedlington in County Durham was ten miles from the actual Durham border. This came to an end with the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, which ended most of the UK’s territorial anomalies, including the Durham/Northumberland ones.
Refuelling
I returned to Front Street West, and headed for number 60. After a two-hour train journey from Teesside, followed by an hour’s walk, I was ready for a bite to eat. So, a pot of tea and a cooked breakfast at Gray’s Cafe Bar. Sorted.
A quick tour
Then, a whistle-stop tour of some of Bedlington’s finest buildings. Continuing along Front Street, I arrived at the Choppington Road roundabout. Here, the former Magistrate’s Court is now a dance centre, but harsh judgements are still now handed down.
Mr Bedlington
Just across from the dance centre, the Trotter Memorial Drinking Fountain commemorates ‘Mr Bedlington’. This was Doctor James Trotter, who campaigned throughout his life for better conditions for 19th Century Bedlingtonians. Dr Trotter earned great affection locally, and a public subscription after his death paid for the fountain.
Kings Arms
Heading back along Front Street, the handsome Kings Arms pub is a listed building which has been renamed The Grapes for some reason.
A pedant writes
Just along from the Kings Arms, the Market Cross can be found. Strictly speaking it should be called the Market Obelisk.
Flashback
Having visited this street for the first time, I was interested to see how it looked in the days when coal was king. And I was able to do so, courtesy of a BBC Documentary filmed in Bedlington in 1960. “A Northumberland Miner’s Picnic”, directed by Ken Russell followed John Gibson, a baritone player in the Pegswood Colliery Brass Band. Lots of footage of the town, and the mountainous spoil heaps that surrounded it. Then Ken filmed John doing his day job, hewing coal underground at Bedlington “A” Pit. The doorway behind the band conductor’s back at 1:18 is the entrance to 60 Front Street West. This is now Gray’s Cafe Bar, where I had breakfast.
Picnic in the park
Ken Russell’s documentary followed the bandsmen and their entourage as they made their way east along Front Street. They continued down the steep Bedlington Bank to Attlee Park, beside the River Blyth. I decided to follow in their footsteps. This is how Attlee Park looks today.
Willows
After leaving Attlee Park, I walked along the riverside path for about 20 minutes. The River Blyth runs through a gorge here. At the foot of the bluffs at either side of the river, there are numerous natural springs, and willows thrive.
Bedlington Viaduct
After following the river for about 20 minutes, I reached Bedlington Viaduct, which carries the Northumberland Line between Blyth and Bedlington. Although the bridge is painted green, it’s known locally as the ‘black bridge’. I don’t make the rules.
In search of a lost waggonway
Just past the viaduct, a tunnel can be found in the undergrowth. A railway once passed under here, but it was no ordinary railway.
Engine Pit Waggonway
This nearby information board explains more about the railway. The board explains how it was built more than 200 years ago, to connect Engine Pit, near Choppington, with the coal staiths on the other side of the tunnel.
Satellite view
The route of the old waggonway can be traced on satellite images as it heads north westwards under the Bedlington Viaduct. Old Ordnance Survey maps found in the National Library of Scotland archive show that the waggonway was still in existence at the beginning of the 20th Century. It emerged into Melrose Terrace, where a bungalow has since been built. It then headed north (leftwards in the photo) up the street then ran behind Bedlington railway station, which is just out of shot.
Railway pioneers
But, 200 years before the Engine Pit Waggonway was built, another one existed in the vicinity. In 1608, Huntingdon Beaumont built a waggonway to transport coal from small ‘bell pit’ collieries in Bedlington, down the steep slope to the river Blyth. Beaumont’s mines weren’t profitable, and the waggonway soon fell out of use. The later waggonway may have used some of the route followed by Beaumont’s earlier scheme. If so, it’s over 400 years old. I headed up to the station and caught the next train back to Newcastle.
More reopenings?
On the train, I read about proposals by the local transport pressure group, South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG), to reopen the freight-only railway line between Bedlington and Morpeth to passenger trains. This would allow passengers from the newly opened Bedlington station to get to Newcastle in about 20 minutes, as opposed to services via the Northumberland Line, which take half an hour. SENRUG is also applying pressure on local politicians to extend the Northumberland Line from Ashington to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. You can read here how I walked this route on 22 February. The North Eastern Combined Authority has recently committed £2.5mn towards plans to build this extension.
Visiting Bedlington
Bedlington is now within rail commuting distance of Newcastle. The Northumberland Line is part of the Tyne & Wear Metro system, as can be seen on the map below. Travellers to and from Bedlington can tap in and out using POP Pay as you Go.
Epidog
I couldn’t talk about Bedlington without mentioning the famous Bedlington Terrier dog breed. Owners of Bedlington Terriers were provided with free travel for themselves and their pets on the opening day of the station. Disappointingly, the Bedlington Terrier count was zero.
Further reading
Reopening of the Northumberland Line on 15 December 2024
Opening of Newsham station on 17 March 2025
Opening of Blyth Bebside station on 19 October 2025 Opening of Northumberland Park station on 22 February
