What Is Proposed?

The local service from Morpeth to Newcastle and MetroCentre runs hourly on weekdays. Thanks to SENRUG lobbying over the years, there is also now an evening service, and a limited Sunday service, and Cramlington now has an earlier morning departure to Newcastle at approximately 07:12.

Whilst Morpeth now has a good choice of alternative intercity services to Newcastle, Cramlington still only has an hourly service (2-hourly on Sundays).

SENRUG therefore wants the service frequency at Cramlington to be as a minimum doubled to 2 trains per hour between 07:00 and 23:00, and at least hourly on Sundays.

Why?

Cramlington currently has a population of 35,000, making it Northumberland’s largest town with a rail station, and with significant further population growth to 45,000 planned, it will soon overtake Blyth and become Northumberland’s largest town overall. It has over 100,000 people living within a 15-minute drive of the station. It is Northumberland’s only town with an indoor shopping centre and has a number of industrial estates round its outskirts supporting a range of industries including chemicals, light engineering and renewables.

Its poor train service provision is something of a historic anomaly which must now be addressed. Cramlington has the misfortune to sit on the East Coast Main Line, where rail planners have long prioritised long-distance services that pass through the station without stopping, rather than the needs of the local economy. This approach needs to be challenged.

The following table is an example of the service pattern anomalies faced by Cramlington:

	Cramlington	Hexham
Population	35,000	13,000
Trains per hour to Newcastle (weekdays)	1	3
Earliest morning arrival into Newcastle (weekdays)	07:22	06:52
Latest departure from Newcastle (weekdays)	22:37	22:53
Sunday service frequency	Every 2 hours	Hourly

Improving trains services to Cramlington in the way suggested by SENRUG also provides access to jobs, the shopping centre, leisure and medical facilities in Cramlington for people in north Northumberland communities such as Alnmouth and Berwick.

How?

Improving the service frequency at Cramlington could be achieved through both of:

• All the TransPennine Express services between Edinburgh and Newcastle (increasing to 8 each way per day from December 2025) calling at Cramlington. SENRUG also wants these services re-connected to the Newcastle – Liverpool service, giving direct journey opportunities to Durham, York, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool

• Introduction of the new hourly each way Local Service between Newcastle and Berwick.
  

These initiatives taken together would significantly improve the train service at Cramlington and provide regular direct trains to Almouth, Berwick and Edinburgh. Once the TransPennine Express Edinburgh to Newcastle service is re-connected to its Newcastle to Liverpool service, Cramlington would also gain direct trains to Durham, York, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.

Bus Connections

There also needs to be better bus services to Cramlington station turning circle. This both strengthens the case for improving rail services, and will enable the train services that are provided to be better utilised, connecting the station with the Town Centre and A&E Hospital. For details see the Bus / Rail Integration page.

Back to Our Campaigns