Ashington crowned World Cup winner

THE new Ashington station on the Northumberland Line has been crowned as the country's most life-changing station after winning the World Cup of Stations.

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Ashington fended off competition from more than 330 nominations across Britain, with 20 standouts battling it out in a public vote.

More than 24,000 votes were cast in five days, with Ashington - reopened last year after a 60-year hiatus for passenger services - coming out on top. Organisers of the competition, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), said Ashington “stood out” for a “remarkable comeback story”.

Coun Caroline Ball, who represents the Ashington Central ward on Northumberland County Council, was delighted with the win. The Ashington-born councillor said: “I’m over the moon.

“I’m really proud of the community, they really pulled together to get it over the line and it has sparked the imagination a bit. It’s something positive for the town to get involved in.

“Hopefully it will bring some really positive publicity to the town and make people want to invest in Ashington. I got a bit excited tying to get people to vote for it - I told everybody I met to vote!