Plans to reopen Leamside Line from Gateshead to County Durham given £350k funding boost

The North East has been given £350k to push forward plans to reopen the mothballed Leamside Line.

The restoration of the disused rail line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham, has been at the centre of a political storm in recent months.

It was included in initial announcements about the Network North transport programme announced by Rishi Sunak after the scrapping of HS2's northern leg in October.

But within 24 hours, that promise was dropped and the Department for Transport (DfT) subsequently said the project "could" be part-funded by funding given to the incoming North East mayor.

MPs, council chiefs, business leaders and local transport officials have since been pressing the case with ministers to try and secure the future of the project, which is expected to cost well over £1bn.

The Government has now confirmed, for the first time, that the region has been awarded £350,000 to help with a new "strategic outline case" for the southern section of the Leamside Line from Washington to Ferryhill.

This work has been described by Transport North East as a "pivotal part of the process required to reopen the line".

The group confirmed the plans would run alongside the locally-funded business case being drawn up to use the northern section of the Leamside Line in the creation of a £745m extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro through Washington.

As well as returning train services to communities left without any since the 1960s, and offering a raft of new connections across the North East, it is hoped the Leamside Line would also provide a diversionary route for the East Coast Main Line, freeing up more space for freight and passenger trains.

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Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon called the Government's £350,000 pledge a "welcome contribution".

Cllr Gannon, the North East Joint Transport Committee chair, said: "I'm pleased that, after much procrastination, the Government has finally decided to show some support for the work we are doing to reopen the Leamside Line.

"The Leamside Line is one of the most important pieces of transport infrastructure in the North East and its reopening will deliver enormous economic, social and environmental benefits to the region - it's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned."

However, he added: "Despite rumours to the contrary, the Government has not agreed to fund the reopening of any part of the Leamside Line.

"In fact, on many occasions it has said the opposite - that the North East will need to fund the line's reopening. Whilst I wholeheartedly disagree with this position, it is important to be honest and clear in the face of the Government's confusing and misleading Network North communications.

"In two months time we will have a new combined authority in the region and I will work with my fellow council leaders and the new mayor to make this scheme a priority both locally and for the next national government.

"It is a critical project for the economic future of our region and we need to start making concrete plans to get building."

The DfT has been contacted for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Speaking to LDRS last week, rail minister Huw Merriman said: "As soon as the Prime Minister's Network North announcement was made, I met with All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Leamside Line as well as the team from the North East. They want to hit the ground running with devolved money and they want to use that money to open the Leamside Line.

"My department is providing the resources to help move towards a business case - that is going on right now - and I really hope we can see the Leamside project funded from the devolved settlement.

"That will be for the North East to decide if they want to, it seems like they do and we want to work with them to make that happen."

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