[5] In the early 2010s, Northumberland County Council (NCC) became interested in restoring passenger services along the remaining freight-only section of the former Blyth and Tyne Railway between Benton Junction and Woodhorn.

In June 2013 NCC commissioned Network Rail to complete a GRIP 1 study to examine the best options for the scheme.

[7] The GRIP 2 study, which NCC received in October 2016, confirmed that the reintroduction of a frequent seven-day a week passenger service between Newcastle and Ashington was feasible and could provide economic benefits of £70 million with more than 380,000 people using the line each year by 2034.

[10] Despite a change in the political leadership of Northumberland County Council following the 2017 local elections[11] the authority continued to work towards the reintroduction of a passenger service onto the line,[12] encouraged by the Department for Transport's November 2017 report, A Strategic Vision for Rail, which named the line as a possible candidate for a future reintroduction of passenger services.

[10] Despite this, the county council has continued to develop the project, announcing a further £3.46 million in funding for a further business case and detailed design study[15] (equivalent to GRIP 3)[10] to be completed by the end of 2019.