Northumberland Park is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Backworth, Northumberland Park and West Allotment in North Tyneside. The station joined the network in December 2005, and is currently the second-newest station on the network, after Simonside, which opened in March 2008. The station is located to the west of the site of the former Backworth station, which closed to passengers in June 1977. The station was indirectly replaced by the nearby Shiremoor, which was purpose-built for the network, and opened in August 1980. Northumberland Park is located a short walk away from the nearby Cobalt Business Park, which can be also reached using Go North East's 19 bus. This route also serves Silverlink Retail Park, Royal Quays and the Shields Ferry. The station was used by 311,714 passengers in 2017–18, making it the fifth-least-used station in North Tyneside.
Facilities
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and WearMetro network, with a lift providing step-free access to the island platform at Northumberland Park. The station is equipped with ticket machines, sheltered waiting area, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card, notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network. The station serves as a park and ride, and is served by a multi-storey car park with 393 spaces, plus 12 accessible spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with 5 cycle lockers and 5 cycle pods available for use. A small bus interchange is also available at the station, providing frequent connections in and around North Tyneside and south east Northumberland.
Service and frequency
Northumberland Park is served by the, which operates between South Shields and St. James with an end-to-end journey time of 83 minutes. Services from platform 1 operate towards South Shields, with the first train departing at 05:49. Services from platform 2 operate towards St. James via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:15. Trains run frequently across the network, at intervals of up to every 12 minutes, and every 15 minutes, with the last trains departing at around midnight. Additional trains run during morning and evening peak hours between Pelaw and Monkseaton. This provides up to 10 trains per hour through the station at peak times. Journey times from Northumberland Park are:
Future developments
As of May 2020, proposals exist for the reinstatement of a passenger service between Newcastle and Ashington, as part of the Northumberland Line project. The service would utilise the single-track line, which is currently used by freight services to and from North Blyth and Lynemouth. It is expected that additional platforms would be constructed at Northumberland Park, in order to accommodate the new rail service. Later phases would see additional stations added, as well as line-speed and capacity improvements elsewhere on the line. The North East Joint Transport Committee's bid for £377 million of funding from the UK Government's £1.28 billion Transforming Cities Fund, submitted on 20 June 2019, includes £99 million to fund the reintroduction of passenger services between Newcastle and Ashington, while further work is ongoing to secure additional public and private investment for the project. As of February 2020, Northumberland County Council has agreed a further £10 million in funding to progress the proposals, with the possibility of construction beginning as early as June 2022, for a September 2023 opening.
