Full steam ahead for Alnwick Christmas shoppers
Rail campaigners yesterday welcomed an early present for Christmas shoppers in Northumberland with the launch of a special Sunday train service over the festive period.
Northern Rail is running the extra trains every Sunday until December 28, to allow people in six towns and villages to leave their cars at home and travel by rail to shop in Newcastle and the MetroCentre.
The trains target people in Alnmouth, Acklington, Widdrington, Pegswood, Morpeth and Cramlington who want to go Christmas shopping or look for New Year sales bargains.
They can hop on the Sunday special at their local stations from 11.05am, and be back home again before 5pm on a return service. Sunday pre-Christmas trains were first introduced two years ago to link Morpeth and the two major shopping centres, following a request by the South-East Northumberland Rail Users Group (SENRUG).
This year - for the first time - the service has been extended beyond Morpeth to include Pegswood, Widdrington, Acklington and Alnmouth, and also takes in the Sunday after Christmas.
Yesterday SENRUG chairman Dennis Fancett said he is delighted that Northern Rail is running the extended Christmas service, which is in addition to the company's formal franchise requirements.
"The MetroCentre offers an excellent range of shops, but on peak shopping days there can be significant queues just to get out of the car park and back on to the A1.
"But the train from MetroCentre station, which is connected directly to the shopping malls, will get you back to Morpeth in just 30 minutes.
Similarly, for those shopping in Newcastle, you can beat high parking charges and traffic congestion in the city centre with a short train ride to the central station."
Scheduled departure times for the special Sunday trains are Alnmouth 11.05am, Acklington 11.12am, Widdrington 11.19am, Pegswood 11.25am, Morpeth 11.29am and Cramlington 11.38am - arriving in Newcastle at 11.50am and the MetroCentre at 12.05pm.
The return train leaves the MetroCentre at 4.05pm and Newcastle at 4.16pm, getting passengers back to Cramlington at 4.28pm, Morpeth 4.35pm, Pegswood 4.39pm, Widdrington 4.45pm, Acklington 4.51pm and Alnmouth 4.59pm.
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