Northumberland Park Metro station

Northumberland Park is a Tyne and Wear Metro and future National Rail station, serving the village of Backworth and suburbs of Northumberland Park and West Allotment, as well as the nearby Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. The station opened on 11 December 2005.

History

The station is located west of the site of the former station at Backworth, which was closed to passengers by British Rail on 13 June 1977. It was indirectly replaced by the nearby station at Shiremoor, which was purpose-built for the Tyne and Wear Metro network. It opened on 10 August 1980, as part of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends. Prior to the opening of Northumberland Park, the distance between neighbouring Palmersville and Shiremoor was the longest between stations on the network at the time, totalling 2.8 km (1.7 mi).

Facilities

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with a lift providing step-free access to the island platform. The station is equipped with ticket machines, sheltered waiting area, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card (including contactless payment), notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.

The station serves as a park and ride, and is served by a multi-storey car park with 393 spaces, plus 12 accessible spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with five cycle lockers and five cycle pods available for use. A small bus interchange is available at the station, providing onward connections in and around North Tyneside and south east Northumberland.

Services

Northern Trains

From (expected) opening in winter 2024, weekday and Saturday daytime services are expected to operate twice-hourly, with an hourly service during the evening and on Sunday, with an end-to-end journey time between Newcastle and Ashington of around 35 minutes. All services are expected to be operated by Northern Trains.

(Expected) rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

Tyne and Wear Metro

As of April 2024, the station is served by up to five trains per hour on weekdays and Saturday, and up to four trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday. Additional services previously operated between Pelaw and Monkseaton at peak times, but have recently been withdrawn, as a result of poor fleet availability.

Rolling stock used: Class 599 Metrocar

Future developments

As of April 2024, plans are under development to reintroduce a passenger rail service between Newcastle and Ashington, as part of the Northumberland Line project. The proposed passenger service utilises the existing single-track freight line which parallels the Tyne and Wear Metro line between Benton Junction and the site of Backworth Junction, to the east of Northumberland Park station.

A planning application for the new National Rail station was submitted to North Tyneside Borough Council on 2 February 2021. The submitted planning documents indicate that the station will have a single platform, located on the north side of Network Rail track, which is designed to accommodate a four-car train. It will be provided with two waiting shelters and will be accessed from Algernon Drive via stairs and a lift. Approval for the new station was granted on 17 September 2021.

Northumberland Park's new National Rail station is under construction by the project's primary construction contractor, Morgan Sindall. The main construction phase began in 2022. It is anticipated the station will open in the winter of 2024, with passenger services commencing on the line in the summer of 2024.

References

Sources

External links

• Media related to Northumberland Park Metro station at Wikimedia Commons
• Timetable and station information for Northumberland Park