Delays at the Bedlington station on the Northumberland Line have been blamed on ageing stonework and a water pipe under the planned car park. The opening of the station has been pushed back into next year, with others on the line already operational.
This has led to fury within the town. Speaking on a visit to the construction site, Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said he recognised the concerns of residents but insisted that work was progressing well.
He said: “I was really surprised by two things – firstly by just how much work Morgan Sindall, the contractors, have actually done. It has been incredible since I was there last just a few months ago.
“The other thing I was really surprised about was the level of unexpected problems that cropped up during the work on this station.
“The first was a water pipe in the place where the carpark was going to go. That took quite some time for other contractors to shift and they lost about four months. Then, when they took down a supporting wall for the platform, the stonework collapsed because of its age.
“Every single stone has been taken off and relaid by a team of experts from Yorkshire, so that it will look beautiful and as good as new, if not better. These are the two issues that have caused months of delays – there have been others, but these two in particular.”
Residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service reacted angrily to the news, claiming the town was treated unfairly in comparison to neighbours such as Ashington. County councillor Malcolm Robinson, who represents the Bedlington West ward, said the town was at the “back of the queue” when it came to major projects.
Addressing this anger, Coun Sanderson added: “The delay at Bedlington station has caused concern and annoyance, so that’s why I decided to go along for myself and see what has actually happened, where we are with this and where we hope to get to as quickly as we can.
“I really do take my hat off to Morgan Sindall for doing everything they have done. It really is looking like a station now.
“I do understand the annoyance and concern, but there have been really good reasons why we haven’t been able to keep to the timetable that we wanted. The line is absolutely fantastic, and Bedlington will soon be an integral and important part of that service.”
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