Durham County Council has submitted plans which could see a passenger rail service run from Darlington to Weardale.
The council has worked with The Auckland Project to create a Business Case which has been submitted to the Department for Transport under the Restoring Your Railway programme.
DCC's new proposals focus on the development of the Darlington – Dales Corridor to improve connectivity for the towns and villages along the Weardale Line. The proposals will also look into the possibility of providing a link to Crook.
Durham County Council says that the plans will help to connect tourism sites including Hamsterley Forest, Bishop Auckland, the Durham Dales as well as the Weardale Railway.
If the Business Case is successful, the Department for Transport will provide funding for an Outline Business Case and develop the proposal in the more detail.
Cllr Richard Bell, deputy leader and Cabinet member for finance, said: “Following the success of our application to reopen Ferryhill Station, we are keen to continue our plans to improve connectivity throughout County Durham.
“By creating and building on current rail links, residents will be able to access more and better opportunities within the county and further afield, while also reducing the county's environmental impact.”
The Weardale line is one of the most beautiful in the country and deserves this kind of boost if they gain a fair share of the revenue. Next year when their trains return to Bishop Auckland I shall be catching a Northern train again and changing for the Weardale railway.
Great place to go, but not just to ride a Pacer unit . . .