The Cinderella line (aka Newcastle – Morpeth), must once again live up to its name as always getting the worst of any hoped-for improvements. In a far-away land over on the West Coast, Network Rail failed to deliver an electrification project on time, and this means that the extra diesel units needed to meet the innovative draft timetable for South East Northumberland must stay where they are and cannot be handed down to the North East region. With franchise commitments to fulfil elsewhere in the North East, it is once again Northumberland that must suffer, thus meriting the route’s Cinderella title. Off peak through services from Morpeth to MetroCentre are lost, with passengers now being obliged to change at Newcastle. Additionally, Morpeth to west of Hexham and Carlisle passengers will now find a full hour added to their journey, as the re-timed trains from Morpeth will arrive in to Newcastle one minute after the Carlisle services depart. The ensuing 59-minute wait will give Northumberland passengers plenty of time to wonder why Northern could not have run Morpeth – Carlisle as a through service, or even take some of those spare electric units now sitting idle on the West Coast and use them for Morpeth – Newcastle, particularly with the non-electrified Newcastle – MetroCentre now removed from the off-peak diagram. Clock-face departures on the route are also lost, a depressing reversal of one of SENRUG’s earlier campaign successes. But the evening service will be introduced as promised, and we are grateful to Northern for responding to the SENRUG feedback and plugging the gap in northbound trains from Newcastle at 19:20 that appeared in the earlier draft, now providing an hourly service throughout both daytime and evening.
