A new £4bn devolution deal for the North East could be crucial to turning dreams of reopening a disused railway line.
The major agreement between seven councils and the Government is set to bring a raft of new money and decision-making powers to the region, with a new North East mayor due to be elected in 2024. And local leaders hope that striking the deal might also be a key step towards achieving one of the region’s biggest and most expensive ambitions – the restoration of the mothballed Leamside Line.
The reopening of the route, between Pelaw in Gateshead and Tursdale in County Durham, would drastically improve connections in parts of the North East cut off from rail travel and allow for a £745m extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro through Washington. While the devolution deal does not secure the vast funding that would be needed to deliver the huge scheme, it does commit the Government in writing to work with the region to push forward plans for the Leamside Line – including the proposed Washington Metro loop, the reintroduction of local rail services to Ferryhill and Sedgefield, and the use of the line by freight trains to free up extra space on the congested East Coast Main Line.
