Northumberland Line will be integrated with Tyne and Wear Metro Pop cards, allowing £1 travel for young people

The smart cards are already in use on the Tyne and Wear Metro and are available for free, and allow young people to cap the cost of their journey at £1 and the cost of a day’s travel at £2.20.

Daily travel for under 16s is capped even lower at £1.70, and these caps will also be extended to passenger services on the new route between Ashington and Newcastle.

The £1 cap will include connections with the Metro, with adults able to use Pop cards to integrate Northumberland Line and Metro journeys as one fare.

Northern is due to start running passenger services between Ashington, Newsham, Seaton Delaval, and Newcastle this summer, with Bedlington, Bebside, and Northumberland Park stations due to open later following delays.

Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “In this day and age, being able to travel on a brand new rail line for just over £1 provides real value for money.

“It was always a priority that fares would be attractive, especially for young people who will benefit from increased education and training opportunities as a result of the Line opening.

“Tickets will go on sale in the coming months as we work towards opening this summer in this truly transformational project.”

It has also been confirmed that tickets will be available through all established channels, including online, via retail apps, and at station machines. Season and flexi-season tickets will be made available.

The off-peak single fare between Ashington and Newcastle will cost less than £3, with a new ticketing approach that allows peak and off-peak tickets to be combined to provide the best value set to be introduced on the line from the start.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “This government’s restoration of the Northumberland Line will have a transformative effect on communities in the North East and is part of the government’s plan to improve local transport across the country.

“Fares starting from as little as £1 will help make this new rail line even more attractive to passengers, especially for the many young people living in the area, providing them with better access to education and job opportunities across the region.”

Jason Wade, regional director for Northern, said: “Bringing new rail services to the North East as part of the Northumberland Line is something we are thrilled to be a part of and we are honoured to be able to connect communities along the route.

“Northern will be operating all passenger services on the line and we will provide a timetable that will help those communities connect with employment, education and other opportunities that will have a positive impact for the region.”

Pop cards, including the type that offer discounts for young people, are available to order free of charge from nexus.org.uk, where it is also possible to add credit.