A RURAL railway station is reopening to tourists this weekend even though there will not be any trains to catch.

Volunteers are manning Stanhope Station, the main station on the troubled Weardale line, in County Durham, to open it to visitors from today until Monday.

The railway ran successfully from July until December when it went into administration with debts of nearly £1m.

With administrators Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PWC) close to an agreement with creditors, hopes are rising that trains will be running again in time for the summer tourist season.

Directors of Weardale Railways Ltd have been working with PWC, a committee of creditors and public funders to come up with a rescue package that would enable the five-mile service between Stanhope and Wolsingham to restart.

Members of the Weardale Railway Trust have been working behind the scenes to support moves to get the line back on track.

Acting chairman Kevin Hilary said: "We decided to reopen the station at Stanhope over Easter to demonstrate to our supporters both in County Durham and beyond that there it still a future for the Weardale Railway.

"Talks are still continuing to try to come up with a rescue package and, until that is put in place, we cannot run any trains.

"But on the evidence of the number of passengers we carried last summer and the number of people who have joined the trust since then, we are confident that there is a future for the railway."

For further information about opening times at Stanhope over the Easter period, telephone (01388) 526262.