Ceremony marks opening of station

THE latest station on the Northumberland Line has been officially opened to the public.

- By JAMES ROBINSON

Officials were joined at Blyth Bebside by pupils from The Dales School at a ceremony to mark the occasion yesterday.

The first service rolled out of the new station just after 8.30am on Sunday. It means passengers will be able to travel to Newcastle in less than half an hour.

As well as a new station, the event also marked the official opening of a new cycle and footbridge across the A189, connecting the station to the nearby Chase Farm Estate - meaning passengers on foot or bike can get to the trains safely and easily.

The line connects south east Northumberland to Tyneside, and had been closed to passenger services since the 1960s.

Passenger numbers have already exceeded expectations, with 700,000 journeys made and hopes the millionth journey is not too far away.