PLANS to restore part of the region's railway heritage have been given a boost with a grant of almost £100,000.

Workers at the Weardale Railway have received £93,500 towards the re-opening of the Stanhope to Bishop Auckland line, in west Durham.

The cash comes from the County Durham Environmental Trust (CDENT), under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.

The line has been closed since 1993, when the last freight service was run, but volunteers hope to re-open it for steam engines to return to the dale.

It is estimated that the venture, which will include improvements to the track, signal boxes and eight stations, will cost about £5m to complete.

The work will be done in stages and spread over several years.

John Wearmouth, chairman of CDENT, said: "We are proud to be at the forefront of such an initiative which, as well as restoring part of the region's rich railway heritage, has the potential to give a much-needed boost to the local economy.

"We hope that the funding provided by CDENT will encourage others to assist this project.''

Work to clear the track has already begun and the Weardale Railway Trust hopes the first steam engines could be running by next year.

Director of Weardale Railways Steve Raine said: "This was once one of the busiest lines in the region but, over the past few decades, it has been allowed to decline.

"We want to restore the track and run new services on the line so that it is not just consigned to history. To achieve this, we need more people to be as supportive as CDENT.''