# Northumberland Park Metro station

Northumberland Park is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, and planned future 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 station opened on 11 December 2005, on the alignment of the former Blyth and Tyne Railway.
A Network Rail freight line shares the alignment at this point. This line is planned to become part of the Northumberland Line passenger service in the near future, and there are plans for this service to stop at a new platform at Northumberland Park.

## History

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 (2.8 km or 1.7 mi) was the longest between stations on the network.

## Facilities

The station has an island platform between the twin tracks of the Tyne and Wear Metro. The single National Rail track runs on the northern side of the station. The station entrance is on Algernon Drive, with both stairs and a lift providing to the platform.
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.
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 is available at the station, providing onward connections in and around North Tyneside and south east Northumberland.

## Future developments

From December 2024 a passenger rail service was introduced between Newcastle and Ashington, as part of the Northumberland Line project. 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.
A planning application for the new National Rail station was submitted to North Tyneside Borough Council on 2 February 2021. The submitted planning documents indicate that the station will have a single platform, located on the north side of Network Rail track, which is designed to accommodate a four-car train. It will be provided with two waiting shelters and will be accessed from Algernon Drive via stairs and a lift. Approval for the new station was granted on 17 September 2021.
Northumberland Park's new National Rail station is under construction by the project's primary construction contractor, Morgan Sindall. The main construction phase began in 2022. It is anticipated the station will open in 2025, with passenger services commencing on the line in December 2024.

## Services
### Northern Trains

From (expected) opening in 2025, weekday and Saturday daytime services are expected to 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. All services are expected to be operated by Northern Trains.
(Expected) rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

### Tyne and Wear Metro

As of October 2024, 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.
Rolling stock used: Class 599 Metrocar