The Northumberland Line connecting Ashington and Newcastle gained a third station this morning, when Newsham opened to passengers. A local councillor has predicted that the demand will be so great that Northern will have to lengthen its trains.

The RMT has called off industrial action on Avanti West Coast, which had involved train managers and threatened to disrupt services on Sundays until May. The dispute had been about payments for rest day working. Nine out of ten members voted, and 86.5 per cent accepted a proposed settlement.