Today’s announcement that fares from Ashington to Newcastle will be no more than £3 each way is excellent news. See Northern’s Press Release here. We believe this to be a realistic and competitive price that will help regenerate South East Northumberland and provide affordable access to jobs, education and leisure in the city centre. Additionally, the announcement of fares really does indicate we are moving close to an opening date. Surely it is now time for the authorities to declare what the opening date will be and to release times and fares into the national rail database so that through tickets for journeys such as Ashington to London can be booked.
We are however concerned about the disparity of pricing compared to the existing rail route from Morpeth to Newcastle. Hapless Morpeth passengers must pay a whopping £6.90 for a single ticket to Newcastle (£13.80 return), plus a further £3 to park at the station on top of that. True, cheaper “advance” tickets can be bought, normally for around £3.40, but these commit travellers to a specific train. Furthermore, Northern’s “advance” fares for Morpeth to Newcastle are often higher than LNER’s, suggesting a complete absence of any kind of strategy from the rail industry. What we need is for fares from Morpeth and Cramlington to be set at the same level as those for comparable Northumberland Line stations, and Morpeth and Cramlington to be brought in to the Nexus fares zonal system, as is happening for Northumberland Line stations.
So, excited as we are about the opening of the Northumberland line, which we very much hope is now just a couple of months away, it is clear SENRUG’s campaigning work must continue, not just in terms of other new routes and services, but also for an integrated ticketing system covering bus, metro and local trains across the entire north east mayoral region.
