Towns in the north east of England are poised to be reconnected to Newcastle by rail in what promises a major boost to the local economy.

       The project, costing an estimated ￡166m, will see trains travel from Ashington through numerous towns, terminating at Newcastle, for the first time in 60 years.

       In total six new stations are being built, with three set to be ready this year. Ashington, Newsham and Seaton Delaval are expected to be operational in summer 2024, with Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park due to open at a later date.

       The service will run twice an hour in both directions and the total journey time from Ashington at the northern end of the line to Newcastle at the southern end will take 35 minutes.

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       Mark Ellis, Senior Programme Officer, Northumberland County Council told Geoff Marshall - a YouTube railway sensation - that there are economic benefits expected to accrue from the re-opening of the line, as well as social benefits for previously unconnected areas.

       He said: “I mean one of the benefits of the line is that it's going to improve connectivity from south-east Northumberland towards Newcastle.

       “And also with the connection with the Tyne and Wear Metro at Northumberland Park, that'll make journeys a lot easier for residents of south-east Northumberland to commute into Newcastle.

       “But equally, it's going to make access into south-east Northumberland a lot easier for people, which is one of the aims of the line: to increase economic development in south-east Northumberland.”

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       He added: “There's some beautiful places to visit that are quite close to the line. Seaton Delaval Hall is a walk or a bus journey away from the station at Seaton Delaval. So there's tourism potential as well as the ease of people getting in and out of Newcastle."

       House prices along the line are lower than the national average, but with the re-opening of the Northumberland Line, that may soon change.

       The average Ashington property cost ￡133,914 over the last year, according to Rightmove.

       The same estate agent said that Newsham’s average property price is ￡115,791, Seaton Delval’s is slightly higher at ￡172, 378, Bedlington’s is a little over ￡165,000, similar to Bebside.