“The perfect rural bus/rail link but how many people use it?”

Saturday 27th June 2026

During last year’s countdown of Britain’s Top 10 Quirky Bus Routes, blog reader Stephen got in touch with an intriguing question….

“Not sure whether this meets the criteria for ‘quirky bus route’ or some other category but next time you’re in Northumberland you might like to check out Chathill station and its two trains a day, both connected with the North Northumberland coast by Borders Buses (NCC contracted) route 918. This, to me, seems the ‘perfect’ rural bus-rail commuter link and I wonder how much used it is?.”

I couldn’t resist the proposition to take a ride on both the ‘quirky’ train and ‘quirky bus’ and answer Stephen’s question about usage so a couple of weeks ago found myself in Northumberland to check it out.

This bus/rail link is what could be described as a Mini ‘Mini Switzerland’ providing ‘seamless integrated connections’ between bus and train, but the catch is it’s for just two journeys a day – one in the morning around 07:00 and one in the evening around 18:30. Because that’s all the trains Chathill station sees on Mondays to Saturdays with nothing on Sundays.

Why just two journeys along with associated positioning journeys to and from Newcastle?

It reflects the problem of pathing trains on this busy stretch of the East Coast Main Line with LNER, Cross Country, TransPennine Express and Lumo all vying for slots on the tracks between Newcastle and Edinburgh. Northern’s hourly stopping service between Newcastle and Morpeth has to be squeezed in between the expresses some of which also call at Morpeth and Alnmouth. Taking account of these constraints Northern manages to extend just two of its Newcastle to Morpeth return trains to serve all the stations as far north as Chathill (Pegswood, Widdrington, and Acklington as well as Alnmouth) as can be seen in the timetables below showing the two northbound journeys from Newcastle at 05:46 and 17:16…

… and the two southbound ones from Chathill at 07:04 and 19:09.

To complete the picture, in September 2024 a new bus route numbered 918 was introduced linking Chathill Station to the coast by providing bespoke convenient connections with these two return train journeys…

… so that coastal communities of Seahouses and Bamburgh as well as inland villages of Warren Mill and Belford are connected into the rail network, albeit with very limited journey options.

Northumberland County Council is funding the service and county councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, for Bamburgh ward, which covers this area told the media “it’s a vital connection which means people in these towns who don’t drive can get to Newcastle for work and college. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing and we’ll continue to campaign for more services from Chathill and the re-opening of Belford station.”

So, getting on for two years since introduction, I wondered how the new route was going and as Stephen asked, how many people are using it?

I travelled up to Newcastle on the Friday before last to catch the 17:16 departure for Chathill full of anticipation and intrigue.

The train arrived into Newcastle’s platform 1 at 16:49 from its previous journey into the city from Morpeth with the driver and conductor shutting the doors as they left and soon after 17:00 when I arrived there were already quite a few people waiting for the new crew to turn up so the doors could be reopened, although I’m never sure why they can’t be left open as happens at other stations and other train companies.

However, by 17:10 we were all on board waiting for the 17:16 departure but the busyness of the East Coast Main Line made it look as though we’d be delayed as I noticed the 17:11 LNER to Edinburgh (14:30 ex King’s Cross) was running seven minutes late having been delayed at York, such are the intricacies of the pathing constraints, so we didn’t get away until 17:20 picking up a few more passengers at Manors giving an estimated 20-30 on board.

Quite a few alighted at Cramlington and Morpeth with just threes and fours alighting at the lesser served Pegswood and Widdrington then halfway on to the next minor station at Acklington we slowed up and pulled off the main line track into Chevington Loop where we were scheduled to pause for 10 minutes to allow a Cross Country train rush by on its way from Plymouth to Edinburgh. This had left Plymouth at 10:27 and kept good timing on its journey north until Darlington where it began getting behind schedule and didn’t pass the Loop where we were patiently waiting until 18:07, 10 minutes later than scheduled at 17:57 meaning we pulled out of the loop shortly after that, being six minutes down.

Another two or three left us at Ackington with the same at Alnmouth – where that Cross Country train had also stopped, presumably taking the majority of passengers from Newcastle, as it had left 14 minutes after us but arrived before us. I did notice two passengers board at Alnmouth which I made a small bet (with myself) would be likely candidates to transfer to the bus at Chathill, the next station, as where else could they be going?

We were now running seven minutes late and pulled into Chathill at 18:31, six minutes behind schedule. I didn’t worry about the bus departure, since a generous allowance is given for the connection before it departs at 18:40 and I noticed in the information online as well as a notice at Chathill station that a free taxi is guaranteed in the event the train is late and the bus, having waited five minutes, has departed.

This is very reassuring to know, as well as the fact Northern’s Regional Director Jason Wade has given his permission – although I didn’t know whether that’s permission for the notice to be posted and not to be removed, or permission to summon a taxi…

… either way, good on Jason.

It’s a great shame the splendid northbound platform and its former railway buildings at Chathill only ever see trains speeding by with just the two Northern arrivals each day…

… as most passengers miss out on the wonderful signage…

… and floral displays.

Just imagine what it must have been like back in the day…

… when the station master lived here and there was a ticket office and other facilities.

The ramshackle building on the southbound platform provides for a stark comparison.

Anyway, back to the journey and I was pleased to see the Borders Bus bus sitting in the car park on the east side of the level crossing so having taken some photos and noted five passengers had alighted from the train, I crossed over the tracks and boarded the bus.

And, I was right (!) two passengers were already on board being the ones who’d boarded the train at Alnmouth – the other three alighting passengers from the train had been met by people in cars and headed off.

At 18:40 we set off towards the coast passing through the delightful village of Beadnell with its imposing church…

… before arriving at Seahouses where the two passengers alighted, and, surprisingly at the next stop, two boarded who told the driver they were tourists out for a walk but now needed to return to Bamburgh so were pleased to see the bus come along. That stretch of road is also served by Arriva’s four journeys a day route X18 (four hours Berwick-upon-Tweed to Newcastle) and Borders Buses three journeys a day route 418 (Alnwick to Wooler) so not overly well served.

As we approached Bamburgh, famed for its wonderful coastal castle, the two tourists alighted as did I at the next stop as Bamburgh seemed a better option to stay overnight than the terminus at Belford.

Meanwhile, the train which I’d left at 18:31 wasn’t due to leave Chathill for the second departure of the day back down to Newcastle until 19:09 but has to get out of the way of the next express coming fast up the tracks – LNER’s 15:03 King’s Cross to Edinburgh due to speed through Chathill at 18:35 – there’s not much margin for delays on this busy line.

So the Northern train continues six miles further north travelling for another eight minutes to the next loop at Crag Mill where it sits for 28 minutes allowing the LNER train to pass as well as a southbound Cross Country Edinburgh to Birmingham to come through without hindrance. The Northern train then leaves Crag Mill Loop at 1901 for the 19:09 departure from Chathill for Newcastle, which I’d noticed two passengers already waiting for at 18:31 and wondered if they’d arrived on the bus – almost certainly so.

However, by 19:00 I was arriving in Bamburgh for an overnight stay ready, bright and early on the Saturday morning at 06:31 to catch the bus back to Chathill to connect with the 07:04 to Newcastle. Being a Saturday I didn’t think there’d be any other passengers and indeed Bamburgh was still very much asleep as the Borders Buses Enviro200 arrived having set off from Belford at 06:18 and, sure enough, no-one was on board.

However, we did pick another passenger up in Seahouses who travelled to the station and waited for the train to come from Crag Mill Loop into the southbound platform. It had arrived from Newcastle into Chathill at 06:40 and, as in the evening, continued on to the Loop but only stayed there for six minutes this time before returning for the journey south to Newcastle at 07:04.

As the bus arrived at the station, two passengers were also waiting to board for its journey back to Belford having come off the train that had arrived from Newcastle.

The train set off on time and soon stopped at Alnmouth at 07:16 where one more passenger joined the two of us on board and then, not surprisingly we needed to get out of the way of two southbound express trains so pulled into another loop at Wooden Gate Junction at 07:19 where we sat until 07:32 to let Lumo’s 06:26 Edinburgh to King’s Cross…

… and LNER’s 06:30 Edinburgh to King’s Cross, hot on each other’s tails, speed by. I was impressed the Conductor on the train came round and spoke to the three of us individually to explain why we were pausing the journey for around 10 minutes which was very reassuring.

Once those trains had passed we continued down to Newcastle with no takers from Acklington and Pegswood, one from Widdrington (to Morpeth) and seven from Morpeth and a few from Cramlington. Not bad for an early Saturday morning train.

And, not bad for this “perfect rural bus/rail link” and now we know the answer: one, or two, passengers use each of the four journeys.

And I also know how freight train drivers must feel when they have to keep pausing in loops to let passenger trains speed by.

Roger French

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