Northumberland Park is a multi-modal station with both a Tyne and Wear Metro station and National Rail station, serving the village of Backworth and suburbs of Northumberland Park and West Allotment, as well as the nearby Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. The Metro station opened on 11 December 2005, on the alignment of the former Blyth and Tyne Railway.[1] A Network Rail line shares the alignment at this point as part of the Northumberland Line, which was freight-only between 1964 and 2024. The National Rail station opened on 22 February 2026, creating a new interchange with the Metro network. Both the Metro and National Rail stations are part of the Pop smartcard system, but passengers need to tap out at one station and back in at the other when changing trains.
The station is located west of the site of the former station at Backworth, which was closed to passengers by British Rail on 13 June 1977, to enable the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro. When this initially opened in 1980, no station was provided at or near the former station site, and Shiremoor was the nearest metro station to the site. Prior to the opening of Northumberland Park, the distance between neighbouring Palmersville and Shiremoor (2.8km or 1.7mi) was the longest between stations on the network.[3][4]
Facilities
Station entrance, showing stairs and lift
The station has an island platform between the twin tracks of the Tyne and Wear Metro. The station entrance is on Algernon Drive, with both stairs and a lift providing to the platform.[5]
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 (including contactless payment), notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.[6][7][8][9]
Services
As of October2024[update], the station is served by up to five trains per hour on weekdays and Saturday, and up to four trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday. In the eastbound direction, trains run to St James via Whitley Bay. In the westbound direction, trains run to South Shields via Monument. Additional services previously operated between Pelaw and Monkseaton at peak times, but have recently been withdrawn, as a result of poor fleet availability.[5][10]
From December 2024 a passenger rail service was introduced between Newcastle and Ashington, as part of the Northumberland Line project.[11][12] The passenger service utilises the existing single-track freight line which parallels the Tyne and Wear Metro line between Benton Junction and the site of Backworth Junction, to the east of Northumberland Park station.[13]
A planning application for the new National Rail station was submitted to North Tyneside Borough Council on 2 February 2021.[14] The submitted planning documents indicate that the station will have a single platform, located on the north side of Network Rail track,[15] which is designed to accommodate a four-car train.[16] It will be provided with two waiting shelters[16] and will be accessed from Algernon Drive via stairs and a lift.[15] Approval for the new station was granted on 17 September 2021.[17]
Northumberland Park's new National Rail station was constructed by the project's primary contractor, Morgan Sindall.[18] The main construction phase began in 2022.[18] The station opened on 22 February 2026, with passenger services having commenced on the line in December 2024.[19][20][21]
Facilities
The station has a single platform for the single National Rail track passing through the station. The station entrance is on Algernon Drive, with both stairs and a lift providing to the platform.
The station is equipped with a ticket machine, sheltered waiting areas, seating, next train information displays, and an emergency help point. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card (including contactless payment), and will print 'promise to pay' tickets for cash users. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations on the Northumberland Line.
Services
From opening on 22 February 2026, weekday and Saturday daytime services operate twice-hourly, with an hourly service during the evening and on Sunday, with an end-to-end journey time between Newcastle and Ashington of around 35 minutes.[22] All services are operated by Northern Trains.
Shared Facilities
The station car park
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 five cycle lockers and five cycle pods available for use.
A small bus interchange with 2 stands is available at the station, which are served primarily by the 19 bus - providing onward connections in and around North Tyneside and south east Northumberland,[5] and the 900 Metro replacement bus during line closures. There is also a small taxi rank located next to the bus stops.
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