The Aln Valley Railway project is an ambitious plan to reopen the branch line from Alnmouth to Alnwick, the old county town of Northumberland and the ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland.

Although the impressive railway station still exists in Alnwick, a road bypass and other commercial developments make it not financially viable at this time to recreate the original run of around 3 miles between the two stations. As a result a new station complex and visitor center will be constructed adjacent to the A1 trunk road next to the Lionheart Enterprise Park from where the railway will follow the original trackbed all the way to Alnmouth Station. A cycleway / footpath will run alongside providing a safe traffic-free corridor between Alnwick and the National Cycle Network.

The reopening of the line was first mooted in 1997, and after a number of false starts planning permission was finally granted in 2010, initial funding has now been secured and negotiations are in their final stages with the landowners, Northumberland Estates. It is hoped that a start on the ground will take place early in 2012.

The Aln Valley Railway Trust is a registered charity number 1063332.

The Aln Valley Railway has finally been permitted to dig a series of test holes in Lloyd's Field, where the station complex is to be built, prior to the lease being signed. Previously we had only been able to test outside the field due to the presence of crops. The holes have allowed us to look at the ground conditions and to accurately determine construction requirements before the initial contract paperwork is released.

The photo above was taken from Willowburn Industrial Estate across the A1 towards Lloyd's Field. Plant was provided by W.R. Cairns of Longframlington.