Reeves on Leamside

Rachel Reeves has insisted that the reopening of the mothballed Leamside Line is “really important” and vowed to help ensure the case for its restoration stacks up, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Daniel Holland.

Backing for the long-debated vision to bring back train services to the disused route through Gateshead, Sunderland, and County Durham formed part of the Government’s landmark Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) commitment this week.

The region’s leaders have been campaigning for years to rebuild the Leamside Line to return rail links to towns left disconnected since the 1960s and free up extra space on the congested East Coast Main Line.

However, despite its inclusion in Labour’s newly-published Northern Growth Strategy, the Whitehall support for the project comes with caveats.

The document states the Government will ensure resources are available for the Leamside Line reopening “subject to agreement of that business case and assurance that this delivers good value for money”.

Meanwhile, a North East rail group has called for more support for local train lines “starved of investment” alongside the promised inter-city improvements.

Speaking on a visit to a new Civil Service office building under construction in Darlington on Thursday, Ms Reeves insisted that the North East would see real benefit from NPR, which will start with upgrades to rail lines in Yorkshire before the later development of routes between Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds. 

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The document we published earlier this week has the route on it and those [NPR] trains will absolutely go to Newcastle. They go to Newcastle via Darlington and Durham… people in the North East, including here in Darlington but also further up in Durham and Newcastle, will absolutely benefit from this investment and rightly so.

“But we have also been working with [North East mayor] Kim McGuinness on what we can do to put further investment into the North East and transport here, which is why we have put our backing for this work on the Leamside Line in County Durham. That is really important to us, we know the growth potential it has.

“Of course it has to be subject to feasibility and analysis, but you also know that we have changed the way that the Treasury looks at the value of investments because of the reforms to the Green Book. The onus is on us now to work with Kim and get a business case that can stack up. But I really want to do that, I can see the benefits it will bring.”

The multibillion-pound package of NPR improvements is expected to be delivered through the 2030s, with an initial £1.1 billion having been set aside for design and preparatory works.

Ms McGuinness has already pledged to fund the extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington, using the northern section of the Leamside Line. 

But reopening the entire length of the route, which was closed to passenger services in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, could result in new stations for communities like Penshaw, Fencehouses, West Rainton, Belmont, and Shincliffe, as well as paving the way for new Tyne-Tees services.

But Dennis Fancett, chair of the South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG), told the LDRS that the NPR announcement seemed “to be more about the Leeds-Manchester Powerhouse” and called for a reinstatement of services to areas “starved of investment” that have lost out in recent timetable changes.

Mr Fancett added: “I think the mayor is pretty committed to the Leamside Line, but I think we have too many feasibility studies before we crack on and do things. There are things we also want to see north of Newcastle — Ashington to Newbiggin, Morpeth to Bedlington. We need a local service between Berwick and Newcastle every hour, calling at every station.”

The North East Public Transport Users Group welcomed the NPR announcement.

A spokesperson said: “It’s crucial for the region that we’ll finally be seeing significant investment in new rail infrastructure. While the fast journeys to Manchester and Liverpool might benefit some people, mainly business and leisure travellers, it’s the Leamside line that will have the biggest impact on the North East. 

“Improved local rail services can really help address the social, economic, and environmental issues we face, connecting people sustainably with jobs, education, and opportunities. The Leamside also offers a vital diversion route from the busy East Coast Mainline, allowing more freight and stopping trains, and giving an alternative during disruption. We hope planning and construction progresses quickly.”