Northumberland Council confirm a ‘lessons learnt’ report looking at delayed Northumberland Line

Officials at Northumberland County Council have confirmed a "lessons learnt" report is being carried out into the Northumberland Line rail project after costs spiralled due to delays and inflation.

The project’s final cost is expected to be just under £300 million, £130 million more than originally estimated, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Delays on the project have been blamed on bad weather and other issues such as the discovery of an unexploded bomb.

Three of the stations are expected to open at the end of 2024, while the three remaining stations will welcome passengers at some point in 2025.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of the authority’s audit committee, the council’s executive director of place and regeneration Simon Neilson confirmed a Government-sponsored report was being carried out looking into the issues faced by the project.

He said: “The Northumberland Line is a major project that is now close to opening.

"It is well evidenced in the press that we have had some cost challenges on that project.

“On rail projects, there is a very good sophisticated computer system that works through and quantifies risks and gives you a risk profile. We have used that extensively on the Northumberland Line.

“During the last couple of years those costs have gone unexpectedly high. That is a different environment.

“It is currently subject to a live lessons learnt report sponsored by the Treasury, which was a condition of the extra funding.”

Mr Neilson said a refreshed business case had shown that the long-awaited project would still provide value for money for the taxpayer, despite the increased cost.

The lessons learnt report is also likely to be used in efforts to reopen the Leamside Line between Pelaw in Gateshead and Tursdale in County Durham.

He added: “We have refreshed the business case to ensure it was still compliant with criteria around cost benefit ratios.

"For every pound invested we expect to see a £1.60 return.

“The independent review is a condition of the new funding.

"This isn’t a negative consequence of this, it’s actually lessons learnt for the entire industry of how you manage more devolved railway projects.

“For the North East it’s actually very helpful as the North East Combined Authority considers the Leamside Line reopening to take some of the lessons about what have we learned how have we managed, what have we done really well and what might we adjust in the future.”

There is still no fixed date as to when the line will open.

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