The rail line between Hexham and Prudhoe remains closed following two large landslides. Trains are running to and from Hexham to Carlisle and to and from Newcastle to Prudhoe. A replacement bus service is covering the journey between Hexham and Prudhoe.
The line is expected to be closed the rest of January and some time beyond.
Councillor Derek Kennedy has been contacted by a number of residents who have highlighted their experiences of using the replacement bus services.
Derek said “I am reliably informed that in the first few days of the replacement bus being in place that there were some real problems. A Mr Thompson of Hexham wrote to me to state that a journey that should take 45mins took around 2 hours. On another day the bus driver used a sat-nav to travel from Hexham to Prudhoe via A69 and was planning on driving his bus across the Ovingham Bridge! Passengers had to inform him the bridge was closed and give him directions on how to get to Prudhoe rail station. There have been various occasions when the bus and trains are not being co-ordinated to link up on time making journeys much longer.”
Derek continued “I understand the position is improving with journey times taking around an extra 25 minutes than normal. Season tickets cost over £1200 per year and while I sympathise with the time it will take to repair the landslides, however the rail companies can control the bus replacement service and I do expect better. I am monitoring the rail closure position regularly and would welcome any comments from users of the service. I am writing to the rail companies to ask for assurances that the bus replacement service is the best that can be offered and to ensure we are kept up to date when the landslide repairs will take place.”
Northern Rail have link here where you can check journey times