Former Northumberland rail line reopens to walkers and cyclists
The line opened in 1887, serving sparsely populated areas and was never profitable or well-used.Following floods in 1848, it operated in two sections - Alnwick to Wooler and Cornhill to Mindrum village. The line stopped running to Alnwick in 1953 and the Wooler to Cornhill section lasted until 29 March 1965.
"It's quite a historic moment," Mr Oades said."We are reopening on 29 March 2025 - that's 60 years since the line itself was closed. "We felt it was a nice time to commemorate that and reopen it on the birthday of its closure."The project has been under way for about four years.
Volunteers from the Borderline Greenway Community Interest Company raised more than £130,000 and cleared trees and vegetation back to the cinder base of the old track.Ditches to expose the original Victorian drainage system were also cleared and the bridge at Greensfield was reinstalled."The whole distance is levelled and dry and people of all abilities can walk it," Mr Oades said.The long-term aim is for the Alnwick to Cornhill line to reopen, but planning permissions for the rest of the route will have to be secured first."There's lots of opportunity to add further kilometres, we could make it 40 or 50 km," Mr Oades added.
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