 Authorised in 1882 the Cornhill Branch was built to link the farming communities of north Northumberland with the market town of Alnwick and link the North Eastern Railway's Kelso line to its Alnwick Branch.Construction started by the North Eastern Railway in 1884, and the line opened to freight between Cornhill and on 2 May 1887, and the whole line for both freight and passengers on 5 September of the same year.The line had difficulty attracting passengers as many of the stations were some distance from the communities they served.