Campaigners face tense wait over County Durham rail projects

A decision by the new Labour government to scrap the Restoring Your Railway Fund means several County Durham projects are in doubt. 

Bids to reopen Ferryhill Station, renew rail links between Consett and Newcastle, and create a passenger rail service from Darlington to Weardale, County Durham, were all backed by the previous Conservative government. 

Labour said it will review the future of the proposed schemes in due course. “Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them,” Transport Secretary Louise Haugh warned. 

Durham County Council said it hopes the projects will continue.

What are the rail projects? 

Ferryhill Station

Initial plans suggested Ferryhill station could use the existing Stillington Line, currently only used for freight services, to create a passenger rail service running from Ferryhill to Teesside. The station would also be the first station on a reopened Leamside line. 

Campaigners said thousands of residents in Ferryhill, Cornforth, Spennymoor, and Sedgefield would benefit from the improved connectivity. 

Former Sedgefield MP Paul Howell repeatedly called for better transport connectivity during his time in office between 2019 and 2024. 

Speaking after the 2022 announcement, the Conservative said: “Places like Ferryhill are crying out for direct rail connectivity, and we must continue to call for investment in this critical piece of railway infrastructure.”

Ferryhill Station, County Durham. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

In October 2023, Network North announced the new station would be funded subject to full business case approval.

However, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) will have to find extra cash to reopen the station at Ferryhill.

Yet, mayor Kim McGuinness provided assurances of the project’s future. "We will still push on with reopening the Leamside Line,” she said. “The Ferryhill station was part of the Restoring Your Railways fund, and it will likely fall victim. "But, we will reopen that station when we reopen the Leamside Line. The plans that we have are still very much there."

Newcastle-Consett

A proposed route for the Consett-Tyne link would also travel through Stanley and Annfield Plain and connect to the East Coast Mainline at Chester-le-Street. 

Options included laying tracks on disused railway lines now used as popular leisure routes such as the Derwent Walk or the Coast to Coast cycle route through Stanley.

Former North West Durham MP Richard Holden said the rail link would be “transformational” and encourage more people to live and work in the area. 

However, a petition calling for the Derwent Walk to be protected was signed by 25,000 people. John Davidson, of the Help Save Our Derwent Walk group, said: “People realised how precious the Derwent Walk was as a resource during Covid. It seemed like absolute folly to destroy something that's a valuable resource for accessing nature and the environment.”

Help Save Our Derwent Walk campaigner, John Davidson. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Darlington-Weardale 

The proposal focused on developing the Darlington-Dales corridor, improving the connectivity of towns and villages along the Weardale line, and reviewed the possibility of providing a link to Crook.

Durham County Council said it would support economic development along the corridor, helping to attract visitors and boost spending by connecting tourism sites including Hamsterley Forest, Bishop Auckland town centre, the Durham Dales, and the Weardale Railway.

Recommended reading: 

• Plans to restore disused railway lines and stations in County Durham in doubt
• County Durham school with 'horrendous' classrooms to be demolished and rebuilt
• Concern for future of County Durham hospital after further delays revealed

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Leamside Line 

The North East Mayor confirmed plans to reopen the Leamside Line will push ahead despite the Government scrapping the major railway fund.

Restoring the Leamside Line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham and closed in the 1960s, has been an ambition among North East leaders for years.

It would allow for an extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington and free up capacity to run more services on the East Coast Main Line, as well as providing links to and between emerging job sites in Gateshead and Sunderland.