Northumberland disused railway line to reopen as Greenway walking and cycle route on 60th anniversary of line closure

A disused Northumberland railway line is set to reopen to the public as a "multi-accessible greenway" on the 60th anniversary of its closure.

The Alnwick to Cornhill Railway officially closed on March 29, 1965; though the last trains ran on the tracks far earlier than that in 1953. However, the first phase of the Borderline Greenway is nearing completion, with a 5km (2.6-mile) loop in place between Alnwick town centre and the Greensfield Bridge, which was installed in November.

The Borderline Greenway CIC confirmed that they are targeting Saturday, March 29, as the opening date of the Greenway, which it says will mark "a new phase in the line's history". The Greenway consists of a two-metre wide track which it is hoped will allow pedestrians, cyclists, horse-riders, and wheelchair and mobility scooter users to pass each other safely.

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The eventual objective is to create a Greater North Northumberland Greenway Trail, across almost 100 miles of the county's former railway lines and current cycle routes. The CIC hopes to use greenways to connect the Pennine Cycleway (NCN68) and the Coast and Castles Cycle Route (NCN1), which currently only connect at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Work undertaken on Phase one has included , clearing more than 75 years of overgrowth to expose the original gravel track, reinstating the original drainage system, installing a new bridge at Greensfield, putting up fencing to keep livestock off the greenway, and securing a 25 year lease for Permitted Public Access from Northumberland Estates.

So far, the project has been carried out with no national funding, with more than £100,000 raised from donations, crowdfunding, Alnwick Town Council, and Northumberland County Council. Next steps include the perpetration of a £2.4m funding application and securing permitted access agreements with landowners where the original railway line passes though.