The Aln Valley Railway has been established to re-open the branch line from Alnmouth station on the main Edinburgh-London line up to Alnwick, firstly as a heritage tourist attraction with steam and vintage diesel power and secondly, if plans go well, a 21st century sustainable transport link for Alnwick. The Alnwick Garden currently attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year and, along with Alnwick Castle and Barter Books, the addition of a rail line will further enhance the town’s tourist offering.

The plans for the railway were launched in 1997 with the intention of taking main-line steam back into Alnwick Station. However this would have involved the provision of a new bridge over the A1 dual carriageway to the east of Alnwick and a further bridge over South Road in the town. Much funding was obtained, but with the failure of a Heritage Lottery grant it was not enough.

A further set-back occurred in 2002 when application was made to Northumberland County Council convert the trackbed east of the A1 into a public footpath. The county council did make an order but after a public inquiry in 2007 it was overturned.

In the meantime the committee rethought the plans and now proposes to site the main Alnwick station in the field adjacent to the trackbed to the east of the A1 near the Lionheart business park. This will provide ample space for parking and suitable buildings for the visitor experience, with good road access from the South Road/A1 interchange. From here steam trains will run down to Alnmouth station, a scenic trip of some 3 miles. The plan is to complete the project in two stages, firstly to Greenrigg Bridge (anout halfway) and then on to Alnmouth. To proceed beyond Greenrigg Bridge a Transport and Works Order is required which will be expensive. Plans include for the other side of the trackbed to be a permissive cyclepath, which will connect the national coastal cycle route safely to Alnwick.

Looking much further ahead, there is a possibility of extending into Alnwick using an ultra-light tramway system and also the possibility of a park-and ride operation.

A  commercial feasibility study by the International Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University shows the line could break even on as few as 10,000 trips/year. The great advantage is that Northumberland Estates, who now own the trackbed, are prepared to lease it to the Trust at a very reasonable rent, so the Trust’s balance sheet will not be burdened with large land acquisition costs before work starts.

Negotiation of a lease for the trackbed from Northumberland Estates is in hand and planning permission is with Northumberland County Council. On the practical front work is needed at our Longhoughton yard on overhauling rail plant and on sorting out rail material for initial track laying. Restoration work on rolling stock is also underway.

All volunteers welcome!!