Working with Northern, we have a great offer for schools including a day out on the train and a visit to the Old Booking Hall at Haltwhistle providing a learning experience in a new environment.  Many children have never travelled by train so will be excited by this new adventure.  We are more than happy to host your visit at any time during the school year.  

We hope that schools in Cumbria, Northumberland, Newcastle and Gateshead will take up our free offerOld Booking Hall

Our officer, Fiona, will help you to plan your day out which will include:

  • Complimentary rail travel on Northern services to/from Haltwhistle introducing many children to the joys of travelling by train
  • A rail safety briefing to your students about travelling safely and the dangers of playing near the tracks
  • Maths activities to do whilst on the journey to Haltwhistle
  • Diverse range of educational activities once at Haltwhistle, covering areas such as rail safety, sustainability, maths, art, geography, engineering, history and the environment. 

Your visit will be hosted in and around the Old Booking Hall at Haltwhistle, a Grade II listed structure with a unisex accessible toilet, small kitchen area, the original booking office windows, complete with the original ticket window, draws and ticket racks.

Arlo helping to teach children about rail safetyVisits can be tailored to meet the needs of the curriculum of different age groups.

Arlo helps us to illustrate how to stay safe near railways for younger children. 

Please contact the TVCRP officer to discuss options.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your school can also get involved in the annual national Backtrack competition which raises awareness of the dangers of trespassing on or near railways. Who better to encourage children to safe safe near railways than young people themselves.

Ebikes being collected at Haltwhistle Railway StationLocal  cycle hire and repair company, Hadrian Cycling Ltd, can help you to explore the area sustainably.

Book a bike in advance and it can be delivered to Haltwhistle Station so it is ready and waiting when you train arrives.

Find out more about hiring a bike here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo:  Hadrian Cycling Ltd

The recent community event at Wylam seeking views about the railway highlighted a wide range of comments. 

As you will see from the notes below, the feedback covered a range of topics.   All of which we, with the Rail Users' Group, will be bearing in mind as we pursue improvements to rail services, infrastructure and connectivity with other forms of public transport Event Wylam 12 March 2024

Thank you to everyone who came along to the event or who submitted feedback via email or on our social media in response to our invitation to attend the event.  

Information from the rail industry and transport organisations
Reappearance of printed timetables is good (this of course is a Tyne Valley CRP initiative, not Northern).
Phone app is OK, generally good on cancellations.
Retention of Hexham ticket office great.

Timetable
More stopping trains
Delete the Whitby/Middlesbrough trains - often unreliable.
Fill the gap between the 21.25 and 22.53 departures at Newcastle.
Trains on bank holidays (presumably New Year's Day).
Trains before 10.00 into Newcastle on Sundays.
Half hourly service at Wylam.
Half hourly service Newcastle - Hexham.
Having to change trains at Hexham to get to the west is a definite put off.
A mid morning all stations service to Carlisle.
A better Sunday service.
What became of the seven day railway?

Stations
Easier to use ticket machines. Not easy to ensure you have the correct ticket or don't buy one more expensive than necessary.
Buy before you board policy discriminates against older people and those with cognitive problems.
One comment that ticket machines are generally OK.
Both ticket machines at Wylam the same side of the crossing.
Access to westbound platform at Corbridge.
Remove car park charges at Wylam.
Better coordination between buses and trains.
Stop the GNE 10B service at Prudhoe departing before its connecting train arrives. (Bus flees train!)
Increase bus service between Wylam and Prudhoe via Crawcrook.
Reopen the eastbound waiting room at Haltwhistle.
Wylam level crossing sometimes blocked when traffic builds.

Trains
Space for both commuter and leisure cycles.
Increased capacity for bikes. Current limitations can leave people stranded in difficult circumstances.
With adequate provision for bikes it becomes possible to promote cycle routes along the Tyne Valley.
More carriages on last trains Friday and Saturday. Full of revellers.

Service quality

If the stopping train is cancelled, ensure the following service stops.
Increase the length of trains following cancelled services to prevent overcrowding.


Other

Settle the industrial dispute.
Cheaper tickets.
Specific complaint about disorder on curry train - this situation largely caused by overcrowding consequent on the previous two trains being cancelled.

 

There are some minor changes to train times along the Tyne Valley Railway in the new timetable starting on 2 June.  Many times are the same as the current timetable, but some are a couple of minutes earlier.

You can check the trian times here

The creativity of our local communities has transformed the interior of the waiting room on Platform 1 at Haltwhistle Station.  The first exhibition was all about dogs.

In summer 2023, the second exhibition was unveiled featuring the history and heritage of Haltwhistle and surrounding parishes.

Sadly the waiting room has been closed for some time as a result of ongoing building work; hopefully in the next few weeks it will be open so you can pop along and learn so much about the area.