Business leaders in the North East have raised the pressure on the Government over a key transport scheme in the region by calling on Ministers to back the re-opening of the Leamside rail line.
Business groups including the North East England Chamber of Commerce, the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Northern Powerhouse Partnership have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling on Ministers to commit funding to the project. A number of major employers - including Esh Group, Northumbrian Water, new Britishvolt owners Recharge Industries and Newcastle International Airport - have also signed the letter.
The campaign to re-open the disused rail line through County Durham, Sunderland and Gateshead would allow the Metro to be extended to Washington and could bring more than £90m a year in economic benefits to the North East. But Transport Minister and North East MP Richard Holden was non-commital when pressed on the merits of the scheme last week, following a pledge from Labour that it would fund the re-opening of the line if it won power.
